m 


<p_.  T" 

\  3 


A  TRANSLATION  AND  COMMENTARY 

OF   THE 

BOOK    OF    PSALMS 

TOR   THE  .USE   OF   THE 

MINISTRY  AND  LAITY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

BY 

AUGUSTUS  THOLUCK,  D.D.,  PH.D. 

'fonslatrit  frnnt  tjp  dSwinnn: 

WITH  A  CAREFUL  COMPARISON  OF  THE  PSALM-TEXT 
WITH  THE  ORIGINAL  TONGUES. 

BY   THE 

REV.  J.  ISIDOR  MOMBERT. 

THY  WORD  is  A  LAMP  UNTO  M«  FEET,  AND  A  LIUIII  UNTO  M*  PATH.— Psalm  cxix.  106. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 


WILLIAM  S.  &  ALFRED  MARTIEN, 

608  CHESTNUT  STREET. 

1858. 


•D  O 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE v 

PREFACE  TO  THE  ENGLISH  EDITION  ix 

PREFACE  TO  THE  GERMAN  EDITION xiii 

INTRODUCTION 1 — 66 

Sec.  I. —The  Psalter  in  the  Christian  Church 1—14 

Sec.  II. — The  form,  division,  design,  and  use  of  the  Psalter 

in  Old  Testament  Times 14—22 

Sec.  III. — The  Authors  of  the  Psalms 22—32 

Sec.  IV. — Doctrine  and  Ethics  of  the  Psalms 32 — 56 

i.— God  and  the  Government  of  the  World 32 — 36 

ii.— Man  and  Sin 36—39 

in. — Piety  and  Morality  of  the  Psalmists 39 — 45 

iv.— The  Future 46—48 

v.— The  Messiah 48—56 

COMMENTARY 57—497 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 


THE  fine  Christian  spirit  and  unassuming  intelligence  which  pervade 
the  writings  of  Dr.  Tholuck  have  not  only  endeared  him  to  theolo- 
gians and  intelligent  Christians  on  the  Continent,  but  secured  for 
him  a  large  number  of  admirers  in  this  country.  Almost  all  his 
exegetical  writings,  with  the  exception  of  this  Commentary  on  the 
Psalms,  have  long  been  before  the  British  public.  Peculiar  diffi- 
culties lay  in  the  way,  and  deterred  translators  from  the  execution 
of  the  work.  These  difficulties  are  referred  to  by  Dr.  Tholuck 
himself  in  his  Preface  to  this  translation :  it  may  not,  however,  be 
amiss  here  to  advert  to  them  in  brief,  so  that  my  position  as  the 
translator  of  this  work  may  from  the  outset  be  clearly  understood. 
The  text  of  the  Psalms  in  the  German  edition  is  based  on  that  of 
Luther,  with  such  emendations  by  Dr.  Tholuck  as  were  rendered 
indispensably  necessary  by  certain  inaccuracies  which  occur  in 
Luther's  version,  and  other  indistinct  renderings  which  obscure  the 
sense  and  connection.  Every  one  familiar  with  Luther's  translation 
knows  how  much  it  is  at  variance  with  the  English  authorized 
version;  but  Dr.  Tholuck' s  Commentary  is  based  on  the  former  in 
its  emendated  condition.  A  literal  translation  of  Tholuck' s  version 
would  have  rendered  the  valuable  Commentary  to  a  very  great  extent 
useless  to  English  readers,  whereas  the  substitution  of  the  English 
authorized  version  for  Tholuck' s  would  have  produced  an  incon- 
gruity not  less  fatal  to  the  use  of  the  work.  The  only  way  I  could 
see  to  meet  this  difficulty  was  this.  Tholuck' s  German  work  was 
intended  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  German  public :  the  English 
translation  is  intended  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  British  public. 
Tholuck  based  his  version  on  Luther's,  which  is  the  popular  version 
in  Germany:  in  my  translation  I  have  taken  the  English  authorized 
A*  v 


vi  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

version,  printed  in  parallels,  as  the  base  of  operation.  The,  princi- 
ples on  which  I  have  sought  to  harmonize  the  German  version  with 
the  English  and  Dr.  Tholuck' s  Commentary  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing : 

First:  Never  to  alter  when  the  two  versions  corresponded  in 

sense. 

Second:  Whenever  the  original  Hebrew  warranted  a  rendering 
different  from  that  in  the  English  authorized  version,  which  had 
been  adopted  by  Dr.  Tholuck,  and  furnished  a  new  idea,  or  one 
which  the  English  version  would  not  have  suggested,  to  put  it  either 
in  brackets  in  the  text  of  the  Psalms  or  in  separate  foot-notes. 

Third :  Not  to  undertake  any  alteration  without  having,  besides 
the  versions  of  Luther,  Tholuck,  and  other  eminent  German  ver- 
sionists,  diligently  consulted  and  carefully  weighed  the  Hebrew 
original,  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Vulgate  versions. 

The  version  thus  obtained  harmonizes  with  that  of  Tholuck, 
resembles  sufficiently  the  English  authorized  version  to  bring  the 
alterations  which  have  been  undertaken  into  prominent  relief,  from 
the  fact  that  the  smallest  divergence  from  the  latter  will  at  once 
arrest  the  attention  of  the  English  Bible  reader,  and  though  it  does 
not  state  the  detailed  steps  of  criticism,  furnishes  its  results.  How 
far  Dr.  Tholuck,  to  whom  a  portion  of  the  sheets  have  been  sub- 
mitted, approves  of  the  way  in  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  meet 
these  difficulties,  will  be  seen  from  the  following  passage,  which 
occurs  in  his  last  communication  to  me :  "I  have  gained  the  con- 
viction from  the  sheets  which  lie  before  me,  that  you  are  perfectly 
capable  of  meeting,  as  well  as  it  can  be  done,  the  difficulty  arising 
from  the  relation  of  my  translation  to  the  English  authorized 
version." 

The  Introduction  will  be  found  peculiarly  valuable  to  Bible 
Students. 

The  chief  merits  of  the  Commentary  consist  in  the  highly  spirit- 
ual strain  of  its  devotion,  its  concise  and  suggestive  intelligence, 
and  rich  historical  and  illustrative  character.  There  are  many 
ministers  who  have  not  the  time  to  enter  into  the  learned  and 


TRANSLATOR  S    PREFACE.  yii 

critical  disquisitions  which  fill  the  pages  of  more  voluminous  works, 
while  there  are  others  who  have  no  relish  for  critical  treatises  and 
contentions  with  Hebrew  roots.  Neither  of  these  classes  will  con- 
sult Tholuck  in  vain.  But  all  ministers  and  laymen,  who  wish  to 
raise  their  own  devotion  and  refresh  their  spirits  by  listening  to 
the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel,  will  find  that  much  of  the  Psalmist's 
holy  flame  has  been  caught  by  his  German  commentator,  and  that 
he  understands  to  touch  cords  which  must  elicit  sympathy  from  every 
Christian  heart.  Here  is  a  thoroughly  pious  but  also  an  intelligent 
Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  which  I  consider  to  belong  to  that  kind 
of  books  wanted  to  raise  the  standard  of  religious  instruction,  and 
to  impress  the  minds  of  the  many  with  the  fact,  that  religion  is  not 
insipid,  and  engages  no  less  the  affections  than  the  understanding. 

I  have  adopted  a  different  arrangement  from  that  of  the  German 
volume :  there  the  Psalm-text  is  followed  by  the  Introduction  and 
the  Commentary,  while  in  the  English  edition  the  Introduction  and 
analysis  precede  the  Psalm-text,  and  the  Commentary  succeeds  it. 
Ministers  and  students  in  particular,  who  often  require  the  histo- 
rical references  and  illustrative  matter,  or  the  bare  outline  of  thought 
of  a  psalm,  will  find  this  arrangement,  which  presents  the  intro- 
ductory matter  separate  from  the  exegetical,  very  advantageous. 

The  verses  of  the  Psalm-text  correspond  to  the  verses  in  the 
German  edition,  which  agrees  with  the  versic  division  adopted  in 
the  Hebrew,  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Vulgate,  but  often  differs  from 
that  which  prevails  in  the  English  authorized  version,  in  which  the 
titles  are  generally  given  in  a  separate  form,  whereas  in  the  original 
tongues  they  are  always  counted  as  verses.  The  same  remark 
applies  also  to  the  references  to  various  portions  of  the  book  of 
Psalms. 

Respecting  the  translation  of  the  Commentary,  I  have  endea- 
voured to  follow  closely  the  sense  of  the  original,  and  having 
caught  the  German  idiom,  to  express  it  in  an  English  idiomatic 
form.  I  have  done  so  from  the  conviction  that  a  slavish  adherence 
to  the  words  renders  many  translations  from  the  German  obscure 
and  heavy.  I  know,  from  a  comparison  of  several  English  transla- 


viii  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

tions  with  their  German  originals,  that  in  very  many  instances  the 
epithet  "misty"  which  is  so  lavishly  fastened  upon  German  works, 
ought  more  appropriately  to  be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  translators, 
who  have  sometimes  furnished  literal  translations,  which  to  under- 
stand, however,  transcends  ttie  capacity  not  only  of  English  readers, 
but  of  the  very  authors  of  the  works.  I  know  German  authors 
who,  though  good  English  Scholars,  have  been  utterly  unable  to 
identify  the  English  translations  of  their  works  as  their  own  pro- 
ductions, and  expressed  their  astonishment  that  their  translations 
could  sell. 

It  has  been  my  humble  endeavour  to  do  justice  to  Dr.  Tholuck 
and  to  the  British  public,  but  must  not  be  considered  to  subscribe 
to  all  the  views  set  forth  by  the  author.  My  prayer  is,  that  the 
blessing  of  God  may  attend  the  perusal  of  this  Commentary  in  the 
study,  the  closet,  and  the  family,  and  that  the  lofty  conceptions, 
the  humble  penitence,  the  strong  faith,  and  the  silent  resignation 
of  the  royal  bard,  may  charm  the  minds  and  captivate  the  hearts 
of  the  readers,  and  prove  as  beneficial  to  them  as  the  study  of  this 
work  has  been  to  me.  The  example  of  the  Psalmists,  who  lived 
more  than  a  thousand  years  before  the  advent  of  our  Lord,  who 
were  confined  to  the  law  and  the  shadow  of  things  to  come,  and 
had  only  dim  views  of  the  glory  so  clearly  revealed  to  us  in  the 
gospel,  has  often  put  me  to  the  blush,  and  tended,  I  trust,  to 
deepen  my  convictions  of  sin,  and  to  increase  my  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  May  such  be  the  experience  of  all  who  read  this 
book ! 

I  beg  here  thankfully  to  record  my  gratitude  to  Dr.  Tholuck  for 
his  readiness  in  writing  a  preface  to  this  translation,  and  to 
acknowledge  the  kindness  and  encouragement  I  have  received 
from  many  friends  while  this  work  was  in  progress. 

J.  ISIDOK  MOMBERT. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  ENGLISH  EDITION. 


HAVING  been  invited  by  the  translator  of  this  Commentary  to 
write  a  Preface  to  the  English  version,  it  affords  me  pleasure  from 
the  outset  to  familiarize  the  British  public  with  my  object  in  lay- 
ing this  Commentary  before  the  public  of  my  native  country. 

Debarred  of  the  privilege  of  Christian  instruction  and  Christian 
example,  I  shared,  up  to  my  nineteenth  year,  the  then  prevalent 
rationalistic  views.  My  scientific  (theological)  studies  did  not 
result  in  my  conversion  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  It  was  brought 
about  by  the  instrumentality  of  a  noble  Christian  layman,  who 
belonged  to  the  small  number  of  those  who,  under  the  influence  of 
Matthias  Claudius  of  Hamburg,  and  the  cooperation  of  the  breth- 
ren (unites  fratrum,)  had  in  that  period  of  universal  infidelity  kept 
alive  the  faith  in  the  word  of  God's  truth.  His  luminous  example 
of  a  Christian  walk,  more  than  what  he  told  me,  led  me  to  think, 
and  assured  me  at  least  of  this,  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  and 
that  his  doctrine  and  example  make  up  a  complete  moral  ideal, 
which  man  must  appropriate  for  the  purpose  of  attaining  to  rest 
and  finding  peace.  Then  I  believed  in  Christ;  I  was  able  to 
kneel  before  him  and  to  pray  to  him.  Then  he  became  the  friend 
of  my  soul,  whom  I  learned  to  consult  in  all  things,  as  I  had  for- 
merly consulted  my  conscience.  But  how  far  remote  was  I  at 
that  time  from  the  position  of  a  doctrinally  correct  Christian! 
Only  some  portion?  of  the  New  Testament  fell  in  with  my  taste : 


X  PREFACE   TO   THE   ENGLISH   EDITION. 

these  were  the  Gospel  of  John  and  the  Epistle  of  James;  the  Old 
Testament,  I  am  constrained  to  make  the  confession,  I  loathed, 
like  Marcion  of  old.  I  had  till  that  time  studied  the  Oriental 
languages  only.  Not  a  long  time  after  this,  I  was,  without  my 
having  taken  any  steps  to  that  effect,  requested  by  the  religious 
department  of  Government  (Ministerium  des  Cultus)  to  deliver 
theological  lectures  on  the  Old  Testament,  in  the  place  of  De  Wette, 
who  had  been  deposed.  I  found  myself  in  a  great  strait.  I  went 
to  solicit  the  help  of  Neander. 

He  knew  how  to  meet  my  doubts  and  scruples  relating  to 
Christianity,  with  wisdom  and  gentleness;  but  though  himself  a 
Jew,  he  shared,  respecting  the  Old  Testament,  the  universally 
diffused  rationalistic  views — with  this  exception,  that  his  religious 
zeal  prompted  him  to  search  in  its  pages  for  those  religious  truths 
which  are  allied  to  Christianity.  The  share  of  Christian  feeling 
which  entered  into  my  faith,  placed  me  in  strong  opposition  to 
rationalism,  and  I  held  it  my  duty  to  combat  in  my  lectures  on  the 
Old  Testament  also,  every  view  advanced  by  the  rationalistic 
.  school. 

I  gradually  arrived  at  the  conviction  that  the  criticism  and  exe- 
gesis on  the  Old  Testament,  as  set  forth  by  the  old  theologians,  did 
not  in  any  way  hold  good  in  every  instance.  I  endeavoured  for 
some  time,  while  the  struggle  between  my  religious  and  my  scien- 
tific conscience  was  going  on,  to  justify  these  old  views  only;  but 
at  last  I  could  no  longer  continue  blind  to  such  a  contradiction, 
and  the  thing  to  be  done  was  to  reconstruct  in  a  new  spirit  that 
old  theology,  as  in  fact  it  had  already  been  done  with  reference  to 
the  New  Testament.  I  derived  considerable  aid  in  that  task  from 
Calvin's  Commentary  on  the  Psalms:  it  disclosed  tome  a  religious 
depth  in  this  one  book  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  opened  my 
eyes  for  many  other  glories  of  the  Old  Testament  scriptures. 


PREFACE   TO   THE   ENGLISH   EDITION.  xi 

Progressing  in  this  knowledge,  I  learned  to  understand  that  the 
Christian  Kevelation  is  indeed  a  tree  without  a  root,  as  long  as  it 
is  not  understood  in  its  intimate  connection  with  God's  revelation 
of  salvation  in  the  Old  Testament.  My  newly-prepared  e<fitions 
of  the  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  which  have  recently  been  published,  contain  fur- 
ther proof  of  this  fact. 

I  had  to  continually  perceive  that  the  students  had  no  other 
available  help  in  their  study  of  the  Book  of  Psalms  than  the  Com- 
mentary of  De  Wette,  which  just  on  this  Book  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  particularly  meagre  in  religious  knowledge.  The  explicit 
and  valuable  Commentary  of  Hengstenberg  had  then  not  yet 
appeared,  and  owing  to  its  great  bulk  is  hardly  circulated  among 
students.  Our  Christian  laity  feel  the  want  of  a  more  intimate 
familiarity  with  the  Old  Testament,  for  which  Hengstenberg's 
Commentary  is  not  at  all  designed.  In  writing  my  Commentary 
on  the  Psalms,  my  object  was  this:  to  interpret  the  Book  of  Psalms 
in  the  spirit  of  Calvin ;  and  losing  it  on  the  helps  derived  from 
the  newly -gained  views  of  modern  times,  to  adapt  the  volume  to  the 
wants  of  the  people,  and  also  to  professional  men,  who,  besides 
strictly  grammatical  Commentaries,  look  for  a  guide  to  the  spirit- 
ual understanding  of  this  portion  of  Holy  Writ. 

I  am  hardly  in  a  position  to  say  whether  similar  wants  exist  in 
England.  I  must  in  this  respect  rely  on  the  judgment  of  the 
translator.  I  should  think  that  there  is  such  a  want;  there  are  in 
England  and  Scotland  many  laymen  especially,  who  art  little 
acquainted  with  the  Old  Testament  itself,  or  with  its  traditional 
exegesis. 

The  main  misgiving  I  entertained  about  a  translation  of  my 
Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  arose  from  the  circumstance  that  my 
Exposition  was  based  on  Luther's  version,  and  only  then^  deviated 


Xii  PREFACE   TO   THE   ENGLISH   EDITION. 

from  it  when  the  sense  rendered  it  unavoidably  needful.  The 
relation  of  my  version  to  that  of  Luther  is  similar  to  that  which  the 
criticism  of  Wetstein  and  Griesbach,  in  the  editions  before  Lach- 
rnann's  time,  sustains  to  the  New  Testament,  namely,  to  leave 
Luther's  version  intact,  even  where  it  was  not  quite  happy,  and 
only  then  to  alter  when  positive  errors  occurred.  The  English 
authorized  version  of  the  Bible,  composed  at  a  later  period,  and 
supported  by  a  richer  exegetical  apparatus,  is  better  than  Luther's, 
as  far  as  the  correct  rendering  of  the  sense  is  concerned,  although 
Luther's  excels  it  in  richness  of  expression.  I  wholly  confide  in 
the  judgment  of  the  translator  to  meet  this  difficulty  in  the  best 
manner. 

It  is  my  heart's  desire  that  this  English  version  may  prove  to 
many  English  readers  the  means  of  producing  an  attachment  for 
this  precious  Book  of  the  Psalms  like  that  which  I  formed  while 
this  volume  was  preparing. 

DIl.  THOLUCK. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  GERMAN  EDITION. 


SOON  after  the  commencement  of  my  academical  course,  some 
twenty  or  more  years  ago,  I  began  to  lecture  on  the  Psalms.  I 
felt  at  that  time,  and  have  done  ever  since,  on  re-delivering  the 
said  Lectures  or  on  reading  the  Psalms,  the  want  of  a  Commentary 
which  should  familiarize  our  cotemporaries  with  the  religious  con- 
tents of  these  immortal  songs,  as  Calvin's  work  had  done  in  his 
days.  From  that  time  I  have  encouraged  and  desired  those  whose 
special  vocation  I  thought  to  lie  in  that  direction,  to  execute  such 
a  work. 

But  my  desire,  which  I  know  was  also  that  of  many  others,  has 
all  this  time  remained  ungratified.  I  have  therefore  myself  under- 
taken the  present  work  on  the  Psalms.  It  has  been  my  intention 
to  familiarize  not  only  theologians,  but  the  public  at  large,  with 
their  religious  contents :  the  learned  and  linguistic  investigations 
necessarily  connected  with  such  a  work  have,  so  far  as  the  under- 
standing of  the  text  is  concerned,  been  either  received  according 
to  the  results  to  which  they  have  led,  or  been  referred  to  in  sepa- 
rate notes.  I  have  written  this  Commentary  with  a  view  to  the 
great  boon  which  these  songs  have  been  for  more  than  three  thou- 
sand years  to  pious  Jews  and  Christians,  and  with  the  elevating 
knowledge  that  even  now  there  are  millions  of  human  beings,  who 
just  in  the  words  of  the  Psalms  express  in  their  prayers  the  long- 
ings of  their  souls  and  the  gratitude  of  their  hearts  to  God.  May 
it  tend  to  give  to  all  who  lack  it,  the  firm  conviction  that  the 
Psalter  comprises  indeed  a  treasure  of  the  most  diverse  and  of  the 
most  holy  religious  experience,  and  that  it  deserves  to  continue,  in 
every  epoch  of  time,  the  Prayer-book  of  the  Christian  world !  It 
is  indeed  true  that  the  knowledge  of  the  Psalmists  is  not  in  all 
points  equal  to  the  knowledge  which  flows  from  Christian  illumina- 
tion. The  interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament  in  particular,  is  in 
B  xiii 


Xiv  PREFACE  TO  THE  GERMAN  EDITION. 

this  respect  too  a  want,  especially  for  the  laity,  to  the  end  that  they 
may  not  confound  the  stand-points  of  the  different  periods  of  the 
revelations  of  God.  Nevertheless,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the 
Christian  Church  finds  in  the  Psalms  for  many  of  her  wants  an 
appropriate,  a  truly  Christian,  or  as  I  should  like  to  say,  a  truly 
human  expression,  and  that  they  constitute,  for  the  liturgical  use 
of  the  people,  and  for  the  private  devotion  of  individuals,  a  trea- 
sury, sacred  by  its  antiquity,  for  which  it  is  impossible  to  substi- 
tute any  other. 

These  are  the  feelings  with  which  I  have  undertaken  this  Com- 
mentary, to  which  the  prayers  which  accompany  them  correspond. 
If  I  had  known,  when  I  began  this  volume,  that  the  theologian  who 
seems  especially  qualified  for  the  execution  of  a  work  of  this  kind, 
would  so  soon  publish  a  Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  I  should  not 
have  published  mine.  I  have  seen  the  first  volume  of  Dr.  Heng- 
stenberg's  Commentary,  and  entertain  the  hope  that  my  work, 
owing  to  its  peculiar  construction,  will  not  prove  superfluous,  but 
that  both  works  will  join  to  meet  the  existing  want. 

I  have  still  briefly  to  advert  to  the  critical  position  I  occupy  in 
my  Commentary.  The  authenticity  of  the  titles  has,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  been  taken  as  established.  I  declare  from  the  outset, 
that  I  have  been  far  from  making  of  this  acceptation  an  article  of 
faith,  or  from  attaching  to  it  any  special  religious  importance. 
Every  candid  theologian  will  admit  that,  in  the  case  of  some  of  the 
titles,  there  may  be  entertained  by  no  means  unfounded  misgivings 
respecting  their  authenticity.  But  I  feel  constrained  to  confess 
that  the  manner  in  which  the  titles  have  in  modern  times  been 
treated,  appears  to  me  nothing  short  of  the  highest  degree  of  criti- 
cal arbitrariness.  Instead  of  winnowing  where  necessary  the  his- 
torical traditions,  supported  by  weighty  reasons,  they  are  now  from 
the  outset  set  aside,  for  the  purpose  of  substituting  in  their  place 
the  utterances  of  the  most  unbounded  subjectivity.  What  confi- 
dence can  be  placed  in  a  criticism,  the  judgments  of  which  present 
among  themselves  such  powerful  contradictions?*  Are  we  not 

*  E.  g.  Raster  and  Maurer  observe,  ad.  Psalm  li.  that  the  psalm  con- 
tains nothing  which  contradicts  its  title,  that  David  is  the  author,  and  that 
verses  20,  21,  are  an  addition  of  a  later  date.  Ewald,  on  the  other  hand, 
states  that  v.  20  throws  the  clearest  historical  light  on  the  whole  psalm, 
and  that  it  belongs  to  the  period  shortly  after  the  destruction  of  the  Temple! 
Krahmer  remarks,  ad.  Psalm  xxxii.  that  the  authorship  of  David  is  alto- 


PREFACE  TO  THE  GERMAN  EDITION.  XV 

entitled  to  the  demand,  that  the  critic — to  say  the  very  least — 
should  look  at  these  titles,  as  the  Commentators  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament regard  the  diplomatically  constituted  text  of  Lachmann, 
which  they  are  bound  to  adhere  to  in  all  instances  except  those 
where  unmistakeable  external  or  internal  reasons  render  a  deviation 
from  it  absolutely  necessary? 

This  is  the  position  which  I  have  adopted;  from  this  point  of 
view  I  have  endeavoured  to  understand  and  to  historically  explain 
the  Psalms,  according  to  the  hints  furnished  by  the  titles.  I  think 
that  in  this  manner  objections  which  had  been  started  have  in  more 
than  one  instance  been  set  aside,  and  that  the  authenticity  of  the 
titles  has  been  verified;  but  even  if  this  were  not  the  case,  it  was 
necessary  that  some  one  should  put  forth  the  effort  and  make  the 
attempt.  The  critics,  therefore,  who  start  with  different  views, 
cannot  regard  my  method  as  blameworthy. 

The  translation  is  that  of  Luther,  from  which,  however,  I  have 
deviated  in  those  instances  where  the  sense  was  incorrect  or  the 
connection  dark.  I  fancy  that  I  am  not  mistaken  in  thinking  that 
the  printing  of  the  text  in  separate  lines  and  paragraphs,  will  mate- 
rially facilitate  to  laymen  the  understanding  of  the  Psalms  and 
their  connection  with  the  context. 

A.  THOLUCK. 


gether  to  be  called  in  question,  that  its  tone  is  milder,  more  polished  and  soft, 
than  the  psalms  of  David;  while  Ewald  observes,  "The  song  is  clearly 
ancient,  thoroughly  primitive,  the  mark  of  a  strong  mind."  According  to 
Hitzig,  Psalm  ii.  "is  one  of  the  latest."  Maurer  refers  it  to  the  time  of  Heze- 
kiah ;  and  according  to  Ewald  it  cannot  belong  to  a  period  later  than  the 
days  of  Solomon,  etc. 


Das  schOne  Buch,  das  Richtseheid  guter  Sittcn, 
Die  starke  Kraft,  den  Himmel  zu  erbitten, 
Bes  Lebens  Trost,  der  Muth  zum  Sterben  giebt, 
Was  der  Held  sang,  den  Gott  durchaus  geliebt, 
Ward  durch  den  Saal  der  ganzen  Welt  gesungen, 
Und  regte  sich  in  aller  Christen  Zungen. 

Opitz. 


INTRODUCTION. 

SECTION  I. 

THE   PSALTER   IN   THE   CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

THE  BOOK  OF  PSALMS  should  be  approached  with  feelings  of 
reverence.  The  saints  of  the  Jewish  community  and  the  Chris- 
tian Church  have,  from  the  earliest  times,  found  in  its  words  the 
expressions  of  their  most  secret  feelings.  Appropriating  its  com- 
plaints and  promises,  they  have  struggled  before  God  in  prayer. 
The  Psalter  was  the  earliest  prop  of  Christian  worship.  The 
present  liturgies  of  most  Christian  churches  are  greatly  indebted 
to  the  Book  of  Psalms  for  a  large  number  of  their  sublimest  senti- 
ments, which  now,  at  every  service,  in  prayer  ascend  anew  to 
Heaven.  Piety,  Jewish  or  Christian,  if  genuine,  and  not  formal, 
has  derived  more  nourishment  from  the  Psalms  than  from  any 
other  source.  The  Council  of  Toulouse  prohibited  (A.  D.  1229) 
the  use  of  the  Bible  to  laymen,  the  Book  of  Psalms  excepted.  We 
may  account  for  the  diligent  use  of  the  Psalms  for  devotional  pur- 
poses, from  the  fact  that,  more  than  any  other  book  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, they  contain  the  effusions  of  subjective  piety,  and  meet  on 
that  account  in  a  more  immediate  manner  the  wants  of  Christian 
devotion.  Luther  says,  "  Other  books  talk  much  of  the  works  of 
saints,  but  little  of  their  words.  The  noble  virtue  and  manner  of 
the  Psalter  is  a  pattern  of  another  kind.  Its  perusal  is  so  delight- 
ful, because  not  only  are  the  works  of  saints  recounted,  but  the 
words  given  in  which  they  spoke  and  prayed  to  God."  In  our 
day,  the  Psalms  most  thoroughly  enter  into  the  religious  life  of 
Christendom.  They  are  the  prayers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Mass 
Service,  and  of  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England.  In  the 
greater  portion  of  reformed  churches  they  serve  as  spiritual  songs : 
the  Catholic  priest  daily  prays  them  in  his  breviary,  and,  bound 
with  many  editions  of  the  New  Testament,  they  form  now  the  book 
of  devotion  of  many  Protestants. 

What  sort  of  history  would  that  be,  which  should  record  all  the 
spiritual  experiences,  disclosures,  and  struggles,  which  holy  men 
have  in  the  course  of  time  associated  with  separate  passages  in  the 


2  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Psalms,  and  should  indicate  their  influence  on  the  inward  history 
of  the  heroes  of  the  kingdom  of  God ! 

When  our  Lord  instituted  the  holy  Supper,  he  sung  psalms  with 
his  apostles.  (Matt.  xxvi.  30.)  He  testified  to  his  disciples  that 
the  traits  of  his  fate  were  delineated  in  the  Psalms.  (Luke  xxiv.  44.) 
He  referred  his  opponents  to  a  prophetic  Psalm  as  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  (Matt.  xxii.  43.)  The  extent  to  which  his  humilia- 
tion and  exaltation  were,  mirror-like,  beheld  by  him  in  the  Psalms, 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  fact,  that  even  on  the  cross,  when 
expressing  the  desertion  of  his  soul,  he  used  not  his  own  words, 
but  adopted  the  language  of  his  typical  ancestor.  (Matt,  xxvii.  46.) 
Paul  and  Silas,  at  dead  of  night,  praise  God  in  psalms  from  the 
dungeon.  (Acts  xvi.  25.)  Paul  exhorts  the  Christian  Church  to 
sing  psalms.  (Col.  iii.  16;  Eph.  v.  19.)  Tertullian  mentions,  in 
the  second  century,  that  Christians  were  wont  to  sing  psalms  at 
the  Agapa3,  and  that  pious  husbands  and  wives  repeated  them 
antiphonically,  i.  e.  by  alternate  responses.  The  Psalms  have, 
ever  since  the  first  century,  formed  an  essential  portion  of  Chris- 
tian worship. 

From  some  passages  in  the  writings  of  Augustine  and  other 
authors,  we  gather  that  an  entire  psalm  was  sung  (or  partly  sung 
and  partly  read)  after  the  reading  of  a  portion  of  the  epistolary  part 
of  the  New  Testament.  The  order  of  the  Psalms  was  adhered  to. 
Then  followed  the  Gospel  lesson.  (August.  Op.  vol.  v.  Serms. 
176,  165,  vol.  iv.)  The  singing  differed  from  the  choral  song 
of  the  later  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  was  congregational, 
though  the  manner  of  its  execution  changed  and  varied.  Hilary, 
Chrysostom,  and  Augustine  state,  that  these  Psalms  were  fre- 
quently sung  by  the  congregation,  sometimes  recited  by  separate 
individuals,  and  repeated  by  the  rest.  The  antiphonical  plan  was 
very  common  in  the  East,  and  since  the  days  of  Ambrose,  also  in 
the  West.  The  congregation,  divided  into  two  choirs,  alternately 
repeated  the  verses.  Sometimes  the  precentor  sung  one  half,  and 
the  congregation  responded,  as  e.  g.  Psalm  cxxxvi.  in  the  words, 
"For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever/'*  We  have  said  they  were 
sung :  this  term  must  be  qualified.  Artistic  singing,  with  unna- 
tural variations  and  difficult  notes,  is  altogether  out  of  the  question. 
According  to  our  information  on  the  subject,  there  obtained  varia- 
tions rising  from  solemn  recitation  to  choral  song.  Athanasius 
had  the  Psalms  (according  to  Augustine)  recited  with  so  slight  a 
modulation  of  voice,  as  to  resemble  simple  repetition :  it  appears  to 

*  Both  are  comprised  in  the  term  "Antiphonic."  The  same  variety  in 
the  manner  of  singing  the  Psalms  obtains  at  present  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
services:  a  variety,  not  only  affected  by  different  festivals,  but  also  by 
different  localities.  See,  concerning  the  usages  of  the  Romish  Church, 
and  antiquity  in  general,  the  Sections  "  De  Antiphonis"  and  "De  Psalmis," 
in  Gavanti's  Thesaurus  Sacrorum  Rituum,  ed.  Merati  Romae,  1738,  vol.  ii. 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

have  been  something  like  the  chanting  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Church 
of  England.  Many  ancient  Christian  Churches,  however,  used  to 
sing.  (August.  Conf.  10,  33.  Ep.  31.)  We  may  indeed  infer  from 
several  circumstances,  especially  from  the  strophic  nature  of  the 
Psalms,  that  the  singing  in  the  African  churches  was  not  choral, 
but  solemn  cantillation.  Of  this  more  hereafter.  (See  sec.  ii.) 

Some  Psalms  answered  particular  ends.  From  the  earliest 
times,  e.  g.  Psalm  li.  was  called,  par  excellence,  The  Penitential 
Psalm:  an  epithet  which,  since  the  days  of  Origen,  became  attached 
to  seven  psalms,  (Psalms  vi.  xxxii.  xxxviii.  li.  cii.  cxxx.  cxlii.), 
reference  being  made  to  the  Old  Testament,  where  a  seven-fold 
sprinkling  took  place  at  the  purification  of  lepers,  and  Naaman  the 
Syrian  was  ordered  to  wash  seven  times  in  Jordan.  The  morning 
service  opened  with  Psalm  Ixiii.,  the  evening  with  Psalm  cxli.: 
during  Passion-week,  Psalm  xxii.  etc.  In  the  formation  of  the 
services  of  the  Romish  Church,  the  Psalter  was  introduced  into 
the  Mass.  The  oldest  Mass  books  consisted  of  three  parts :  tho 
sacramcntariMm,  containing  the  prayers  of  the  officiating  priest; 
the  hctionariumj  containing  portions  of  the  Scriptures;  and  the 
antiphonarium,  containing  the  Psalms  and  antiphonies,  or  verses 
from  the  Psalms  and  the  Prophets,  which  served  as  the  introitus, 
and  was  so  called  from  the  antiphonic  method  of  singing.  The 
graduate  of  the  Mass  reminds  us  of  the  place  which  the  Psalms 
occupied  in  the  ancient  service.  That  psalm  which  was  sung 
before  the  reading  of  the  Gospel,  was  called  Responsorium  gra- 
duate, because  two  choristers  intonated  it  from  an  elevated  place, 
(the  steps  of  the  ambon,)  when  it  was  taken  up  by  the  congrega- 
tion. The  Psalms  are  so  distributed  in  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church 
of  England,  that  in  the  daily  liturgical  service,  according  to  her 
original  institutions,  the  whole  Psalter  is  prayed  once  a  month: 
the  antiphonic  method  obtains,  priest  and  people  alternating  in  the 
recitation  of  the  single  verses.  The  use  of  the  Psalms  was,  how- 
ever, not  confined  to  public  service.  After  the  Jewish  precedent 
of  the  three  hours  for  prayer  (Dan.  vi.  10;  cf.  Psalms  Iv.  xviii.  lix. 
xvii.)  it  was  deemed  right  at  certain  hours  of  the  day  to  give 
verbal  expression  to  the  silent  prayer,  which  ought  to  animate  the 
spiritual  life  of  every  Christian.  The  words  of  the  Psalms  fur- 
nished that  expression.  The  monks  of  the  East  used,  in  the  eighth 
century,  to  pray  three  psalms  at  each  of  the  said  three  prayer  hours. 
The  seven  canonical  prayer  hours  of  the  Romish  Church  were  even 
then  developing  themselves,*  reference  being  made  to  Ps.  cxix.  164, 

*  Jerome  writes  to  a  mother,  whom  he  furnishes  with  counsel  for  her 
daughter  (Ep.  107.  ad  Loetam:)  "Praeponatur  ei  probce  fidei  et  morum  et 
pudicitiae  virgo  veterana,  quae  illam  doceat  et  assuescat  exemplo  ad  ora- 
tiones  et  Psalmos  noctu  consurgere :  mane  hymnos  cantare,  tertia,  sexta,  nona 
hora  stare  in  acie  quasi  bellatricem  Christi,  accensaque  lucernula  reddere 
sacrificium  vespertinum"  Here  are  mentioned  jive  hours  for  prayer. 


4  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

"Seven  times  a  day  do  I  praise  thee,  because  of  thy  righteous 
judgments."  These  seven  hours  are  the  matutina  before  sunrise, 
when  songs  of  praise  were  prayed  (laucfes:)  the  first  after  sunrise, 
the  third  between  sunrise  and  noon,  the  sixth  at  noon,  the  ninth 
between  noon  and  sunset,  the  vespers  in  the  evening,  and  the  com- 
pletorium  at  the  close  of  day  before  retiring  to  rest.  The  Psalms 
occupy  an  important  position  in  the  prayers,  lessons,  and  hymns, 
arranged  according  to  the  different  hours  of  the  day  and  seasons  of 
the  year,  since  they  are  prayed  through  once  a  week 

The  Psalms  exerted  a  third  influence  on  the  expressions  of 
Christian  piety  and  Christian  worship  in  particular,  since  Christian 
song  was  formed  with  them  and  after  their  model.  They  are 
referred  to  (Eph.  v.  19;  Col.  iii.  16,)  in  connection  with  spiritual 
songs,  which  latter  are  to  be  apprehended  as  songs  suddenly  inspir- 
ed ly  the  Holy  Spirit  (avTo<rx,t$iaitrfA.ccTci.*)  It  appears  from  1  Cor. 
xiv.  26,  that  at  that  time  the  Spirit  of  God  raised  also  in  this 
respect  extraordinary  powers  in  the  Church.  That  influence  of 
the  Spirit  appears  to  have  so  powerfully  existed  in  the  Church  of 
the  second  century,  that  Tertullian,  writing  of  his  own  times, 
records  it  as  the  prevailing  custom  after  the  love-feast  to  invite 
any  one  present  according  to  their  several  capacity  to  sing  songs  to 
God,  which  were  either  taken  from  the  Scriptures  or  suggested  to 
the  mind  of  the  individual.  (Apolog.  c.  39.)  It  is  evident  that 
the  former  are  psalms,  the  latter  spontaneous  lyrical  effusions  no 
doubt  developed  by  them.*  "  The  simplicity  which  characterizes 
the  composition  of  the  Psalms/'  says  Herder,  (for  nothing  can  be 
more  simple  than  the  parallelism  of  the  Psalms — which  is,  as  it 
were,  a  double  choir — alternately  asking  and  responding,  exhorting 
and  confirming,)  "  rendered  its  possession  to  simple-minded  Chris- 
tian communities  in  times  of  oppression  no  less  than  in  seasons  of 
hope  and  joy  the  very  boon  of  Heaven.  Hence  its  early  use  in  the 
Christian  Church;  hence  from  the  earliest  times,  before  Christian 
poets  could  exist,  those  loud  hymns,  which  caused  the  Romans  to 
notice  their  meetings ;  they  were  psalms."  Even  the  New  Testa- 
ment contains  imitations  of  the  Psalms,  if  we  may  designate  as 
Christian^  the  songs  of  Zacharias,  of  Mary,  and  of  the  angels  at 
the  birth  of  our  Lord.  The  most  ancient  strictly  Christian  songs 
appear  to  have  been  hymns  celebrating  the  praises  of  Christ,  as 
1  Tim.  iii.  16.  The  pagan  procurator,  Pliny,  writes  to  Trajan, 
(about  100,  A.^D.)  that  the  Christians  were  in  the  habit  of  meet- 
ing on  a  certain  day  before  sunrise,  singing  hymns  to  the  praise 
of  Christ  as  God.  Caius,  (Euseb.  Eccles.  Hist.  v.  28.)  a  Christian 

*  With  this  view  coincides  Bsehr. — The  Christian  poets  and  historians 
of  Rome,  p.  4. 

f  So  1  Tim.  iii.  16;  Eph.  v.  14,  are  held  to  be  fragments  of  early  Chris- 
tian songs. 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

author  of  the  second  century,  says,  "  How  many  psalms  and  odes 
of  the  brethren  have  we  got,  composed  from  the  beginning  by  be- 
lievers, in  which  Christ  is  celebrated  as  God !"  This  class  of  hymns 
found  its  type  in  the  psalms  of  praise.  Others,  based  upon  the 
psalms  of  the  New  Testament,  as  mentioned  above,  reverted  medi- 
ately to  the  Old  Testament.  Sometimes  Christian  song  was  the 
mere  echo  of  the  Psalms,  as  appears  from  several  preserved  frag- 
ments of  spiritual  songs,  used  in  the  ancient  Greek  Church.  An 
influence  from  another  quarter  originated  about  the  fourth  century. 
The  form  of  classical  songs  began  to  be  imitated  in  Western  Eu- 
rope, which  gave  rise  to  hymns*  in  the  narrow  sense  of  the  word. 
They,  however,  were  less  frequently  used  by  the  people,  and  rather 
occasioned  the  introduction  of  the  strictly  musical,  t.  e.,  artistic  sa- 
cred song.  We  are  entirely  indebted  to  the  Psalms  as  models,  not 
only  for  hymns  sung  by  the  people,  but  for  choral  songs  in  general. 

Luther,  in  particular,  has  composed  many  hymns  after  the 
Psalms :  "Lord,  look  down  from  heaven,"  ("Ach  Gott  vom  Him- 
mel  sieh  darein")  after  Ps.  xii.:  "The  Lord  be  merciful  to  us," 
("Es  wolle  Gott  uns  gnatdig  sein,")  after  Ps.  Ixvii.:  "Were  God 
not  with  us  at  this  time,"  ("  Waer*  Gott  ntcht  mit  uns  diese  Zeit,") 
after  Ps.  cxxiv.:  "Out  of  deep  sorrow  I  cry  to  Thee/'  ("Aus  lie- 
fer Noth  sckrei  ick  zu  Dir")  after  Ps.  cxxx.  The  majestic  hymn, 
"Now  praise  the  Lord,  my  soul,"  ("JVun.  lob'  meine  Seele  den 
Herrn")  by  John  Gramann,  is  composed  after  Ps.  ciii.:  "My 
hope  doth  stand  in  God  alone,"  ("Allein  zu  Gott  mein'  Hoffnung 
stcht")  by  Lobwasser,  after  Psalm  xxxvii.  efc.f  The  gift  of  song, 
aroused  by  Luther's  example,  flows  after  the  Reformation  in  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  pure  and  copious  streams,  reflecting  the  free 
effusions  of  the  Christian  mind.  The  Reformed  Church,  on  the 
other  hand,  adhering  in  her  songs  more  closely  to  the  letter  of  the 
Scriptures,  arranged  the  Psalms  metrically  for  her  service,  though 
of  course  an  arrangement  of  this  kind  presents  less  vivacity  and 
freshness  than  free  song.  The  French,  Swiss,  Dutch,  and  Angli- 
can Churches  use  this  metrical  version.  Lobwasser  composed  a 
translation  from  the  French,  for  the  use  of  the  German  churches. 

A  long  chain  of  testimonies  may  be  adduced  to  show  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Psalms  on  the  Christian  life  of  great  men.  Athana-  x, 
sius,  bishop  of  Alexandria,  in  the  fourth  century,  says,  "They 
appear  to  me  a  mirror  of  the  soul  of  every  one  who  sings  them  j 
they  enable  him  to  perceive  his  own  emotions,  and  to  express  them 
in  the  words  of  the  Psalms.  He  who  hears  them  read  receives 
them  as  if  they  were  spoken  for  him.  Conscience-struck,  he  will 

*  Carmina,  as  distinguished  from  Cantica. 

f  A  more  detailed  account  and  proof  may  be  found,  in  a  work  of  rare 
investigation  and  exquisite  learning,  which  we  have  frequently  consulted: 
Ferdinand  Wolf  on  the  Lais,  Sequences,  and  Obsequies.  Heidelberg, 
1841. 


6  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

either  humbly  repent,  or  hearing  how  the  trust  of  believers  was 
rewarded  by  God,  rejoice  as  if  his  mercy  were  promised  to  him  in 
particular,  and  begin  to  thank  God.  Yes,  in  its  pages  you  find 
portrayed  man's  whole  life,  the  emotions  of  his  soul  and  the  frames 
of  his  mind.  We  cannot  conceive  of  anything  richer  than  the 
Book  of  Psalms.  If  you  need  penitence,  if  anguish  or  temptation 
have  befallen  you,  if  you  have  escaped  persecution  and  oppression, 
or  are  immersed  in  deep  affliction,  concerning  each  and  all  you 
may  find  instruction,  and  state  it  to  God  in  the  words  of  the  Psal- 
ter!" Let  us  add  Ambrose,  the  pious  bishop  of  Milan,  in  the 
fourth  century:  "The  law  instructs,  history  informs,  prophecy 
predicts,  correction  censures,  and  morals  exhort.  In  the  Book  of 
Psalms  you  find  the  fruit  of  all  these,  as  well  as  a  remedy  for  the 
salvation  of  the  soul.  The  Psalter  deserves  to  be  called,  the  praise 
of  God  the  glory  of  man,  the  voice  of  the  Church,  and  the  most 
beneficial  confession  of  faith.  The  Psalms  teach  me  to  avoid  sin, 
and  to  unlearn  my  being  ashamed  of  repentance.  Such  a  king, 
such  a  prophet,  teaches  me  by  his  example  to  make  atonement  for 
past  transgression  and  to  avoid  sin  for  the  future.  In  the  Psalms, 
delight  and  instruction  vie  with  one  another :  we  sing  for  enjoy- 

.  ment,  and  read  for  instruction."  Augustine  relates  with  deep 
•  "  feeling,  in  his  Confessions,  what  a  treasure  the  Psalms  were  to  him 
at  the  time  of  his  conversion:  "How  did  I  then,"  says  he  in 
addressing  God,  "converse  with  thee,  when  I  read  the  Psalms  of 
David,  those  songs  full  of  faith,  those  accents  which  exclude  all 
pride!  How  did  I  address  thee  in  those  Psalms;  how  did  they 
kindle  my  love  to  thee;  how  did  they  animate  me  if  possible  to 
read  them  out  to  the  whole  world  as  a  protest  against  the  pride  of 
the  human  race.  And  yet  they  are  sung  in  the  whole  world,  *  no- 
thing is  hid  from  their  heat/*  How  violent  was  my  indignation 
against  the  Manichaeans  (the  heretical  sect,  who  entirely  rejected 
the  Old  Testament,)  and  yet  felt  pity  for  their  not  knowing  those 
holy  riches,  those  remedies,  and  their  raging  against  the  antidote 
that  might  have  healed  them.  I  wish  they  had  been  at  my  side — 
yet  without  my  knowledge — beheld  my  countenance  and  heard  my 
voice,  when  I  read  the  fourth  Psalm — what  a  blessing  it  was  to 
me!  ^Oh,  that  they  could  have  heard — but  without  my  knowledge 
of  their  being  within  hearing  (lest  they  should  fancy  I  were  speak- 
ing for  their  sakes,) — what  I  said  to  thee  at  the  occasion  of  those 
words."  He  then  states  with  profound  emotion,  what  passed  in 

^  his  soul  at  the  reading  of  every  separate  verse  of  that  Psalm. 

To  unite  ancient  with  modern  days,  let  us  hear  how  an  intimate 
disciple  of  St.  Bernard,  in  the  twelfth  century,  represents  the 
Psalter  as  the  mirror  of  Christian  virtue.  "Be  ready  to  do  every 
good,  but  be  equally  ready  to  bear  any  evil,  that  thy  mouth  with- 

*  A  beautiful  allusion  to  Psalm  xix.  7. 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

out  being  reproved  by  thine  heart  may  sing  with  David,  (Opp. 
vol.  ii.  8.  Bernardi.  p.  984,)  'My  heart  is  prepared,  my  God, 
my  heart  is  prepared/  (Ps.  Ivii.  8.) — (the  German  version  ren- 
ders the  word,  '  fixed/  of  the  English  A.  V.  by  *  prepared/ 
cf.  margin) — prepared  by  Thine  aid  to  perform  the  good,  but 
also  prepared  to  suffer  evil;  and  prepared  to  suffer  because  'I 
will  sing  and  give  praise/  i.  e.  bless  and  praise  Thee  for  both. 
And  forthwith  the  godly  man  stirs  himself  by  saying,  i  Awake 
psaltery  and  harp/  i.  e.  my  heart  and  my  flesh,  to  glory  in 
the  living  God;  the  heart  for  His  mercies,  the  flesh  for  its  suf- 
ferings. So  David  elsewhere  shows  his  resignation  to  God,  by 
saying,  *I  will  keep  thy  precepts/  and  more  than  this,  he  said 
also,  '  I  was  not  moved,  when  opposition  arose  and  persecution 
raged.  At  the  persecution  of  my  rival,  the  cursing  of  my  servant 
(Shimei,)  the  murderous  designs  of  my  son,  I  became  not  moved, 
but  obeyed  Thy  commandments,  requited  good  for  evil  to  those 
who  returned  evil  for  good.  I  was  anxious  for  the  welfare  and 
porry  for  the  death  of  my  persecutors.  I  could  brook  to  be  despised 
by  my  servant,  but  not  bear  to  be  avenged  by  my  friends.'  Behold 
long  before  the  Gospel  the  virtue  of  the  Gospel.  Thus  prepared, 
David  went  to  meet  his  Lord  with  childlike  confidence.  '  1  have 
run  without  a  false  step,  and  corrected  the  perverse  as  many  as  I 
could.'  Come,  then,  Lord,  and  meet  me,  who  run  to  meet  Thee. 
And  as  I  cannot  attain  unto  thy  loftiness,  except  thou  condescend  to 
give  me  thy  right  hand,  'Try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts:  and 
»ee  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way 
everlasting;  i.  e.  to  Christ  who  is  the  way  in  which,  and  eternity 
to  which  we  are  going/' 

The  words  of  Liilii^r'e^regnantJPjreface  to  the  Psalter  are  well 
known:  we  make  from  it  the  following  extract:  "The  humanX' 
heart  is  like  a  vessel  in  a  tempestuous  sea,  tossed  to  and  fro  by  the 
storms  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  world.  Fear  and  care  of 
future  mishap  are  roaring  here;  grief  and  sadness  on  account  of 
present  evil  there.  Hope  and  courage  respecting  future  happiness 
are  blowing  here;  while  assurance  and  joy  on  account  of  present 
good  are  sounding  there.  Such  tempests  teach  one  to  be  in  ear- 
nest now  to  open,  and  now  to  pour  out  one's  heart.  He  who  is  in 
fear  and  trouble  talks  in  other  strains  about  mishap  than  he  who 
lives  in  joy;  and  he  who  lives  in  joy  in  other  strains  about  joy 
than  he  who  lives  in  fear.  It  comes  not  from  the  heart  (they  say) 
when  a  sad  one  tries  to  laugh  and  a  glad  one  to  weep ;  i.  e.  his 
heart  is  neither  opened  nor  poured  out.  But  what  do  you  find 
most  in  the  Psalms?  Earnest  speech  in  all  manner  of  tempests. 
Where  can  you  find  more  appropriate  expressions  of  joy  than  in 
the  Psalms  of  praise  and  thanksgiving?  You  look  right  into  the 
heart  of  saints,  as  into  fair  and  pleasant  gardens  or  heaven  itself, 
and  behold  beautiful,  laughing,  and  delicate  flowers  of  all  manner 


8  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

of  fair  and  joyous  thoughts  towards  God  and  his  love  springing 
lustily  into  life.  Again,  where  can  you  find  more  profound,  plain- 
tive, and  wretched  words  of  grief  than  in  the  Psalms  of  complaint  ? 
Once  more,  you  look  into  the  heart  of  saints  as  into  death  or  hell. 
How  gloomy  and  dark  their  mournful  visions  of  God !  So  again, 
when  the  Psalms  speak  of  fear  and  hope,  they  abound  in  words  so 
significant,  that  no  painter  could  thus  portray,  no  Cicero  nor  orator 
thus  describe  them/' 

,/  Let  us  now  hear  Calvin.  In  the  Preface  of  his  Exposition  of 
the  Psalms,  he  mentions  with  holy  earnestness  the  blessing  he 
himself  had  derived  from  being  engaged  in  that  work,  and  the  aid 
with  which  his  own  experience,  both  temporal  and  spiritual,  fur- 
nished him  in  the  Exposition  of  the  Psalms  of  the  Bible.  But 
let  him  speak  for  himself.  "If  the  reading  of  my  Commentaries 
yield  to  the  Church  of  God  as  much  blessing  as  their  preparation 
has  conferred  upon  me,  I  shall  never  repent  having  undertaken 
the  task."  "Should  the  labour  bestowed  on  this  work  prove  a 
blessing  to  my  readers,  may  they  know,  that  the  experience  of  such 
struggles  and  difficulties  (though  unimportant  in  itself,)  through 
which  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  take  me,  has  materially  helped 
me,  not  only  to  apply  in  its  place  whatever  useful  knowledge  I 
might  possess,  but  to  enter  more  thoroughly  into  the  author's 
design  and  the  purpose  of  the  Psalms."  Calvin,  who  may  be  truly 
said  to  have,  probably  more  than  any  other  man,  imbibed  the  spirit 
of  the  Psalms,  says  concerning  their  contents :  "  Not  without  good 
grounds  am  I  wont  to  call  this  book  an  anatomy  of  all  parts  of  the 
soul,  since  no  one  can  experience  emotions,  whose  portrait  he  could 
not  behold  reflected  in  its  mirror.  Yes,  the  Holy  Spirit  has  there 
depicted  in  the  most  vivid  manner  every  species  of  pain,  affliction, 
fear,  doubt,  hope,  care,  anxiety,  and  turbulent  emotion,  through 
which  the  hearts  of  men  are  chased.  Other  portions  of  the  Scrip- 
tures contain  commandments,  whose  transmission  the  Lord  enjoined 
upon  his  servants;  but  in  the  Psalms,  the  Prophets  communing 
with  God  and  uncovering  their  inmost  feelings,  call  and  urge  every 
reader  to  self-examination  to  such  a  degree,  that  of  the  numerous 
infirmities  to  which  we  are  liable,  and  of  the  many  failings  which 
oppress  us,  not  one  remains  concealed.  How  great  and  rare  again 
for  the  human  heart  to  be  thus  driven  out  of  all  its  hiding-places, 
liberated  from  hypocrisy  (that  most  fearful  of  vices,)  and  exposed 
to  the  light.  Lastly,  if  calling  on  God  is  the  surest  means  of  our 
salvation — if  better  and  more  reliable  directions  for  it  than  those 
contained  in  the  Book  of  Psalms  are  not  to  be  obtained,  then  every 
one  who  reads  this  book  has  attained  to  an  essential  part  of  the 
Divine  doctrine.  Earnest  prayer  originates  in  our  sense  of  need ; 
afterwards  in  our  faith  in  the  Divine  promises.  The  reader  of  the 
Psalms  finds  himself  both  aroused  to  feel  his  misery,  and  exhorted 
to  seek  for  its  remedy.  The  Psalter  unfolds  every  encouragement 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

to  prayer.  It  is  not  merely  confined  to  promises,  but  men  are 
introduced  who,  on  the  one  hand  invited  by  God,  and  on  the  other 
hindered  by  the  flesh,  take  courage  in  prayer:  if  therefore  we  are 
beset  by  doubt  and  scruple,  here  we  may  learn  to  combat,  till  the 
disenthralled  spirit  rises  anew  to  God.  And  more  than  this,  we 
may  learn  prayerfully  to  struggle  through  hesitation,  fear,  and 
faint-hearted  ness,  till  comfort  be  attained.  For,  be  it  remembered, 
that  though  unbelief  keep  the  door  shut  to  our  prayers,  we  must 
not  desist  when  our  wavering  hearts  are  being  tossed  to  and  fro, 
but  persevere  until  faith  mounts  victoriously  from  her  struggles. 
Again,  the  Psalms  inspire  us  with  the  most  desirable  of  all  things, 
in  not  only  teaching  us  to  approach  God  in  confidence,  but  to 
openly  unbare  before  him  all  those  failings  which  a  false  sense  of 
shame  otherwise  forbids  us  to  own.  They  furnish,  moreover,  the 
clearest  directions  how  we  may  render  to  God  that  sacrifice  of 
praise  which  he  declares  as  most  acceptable  to  him.  You  cannot 
read  anywhere  more  glorious  praises  of  God's  peculiar  grace  towards 
his  Church  or  of  his  works;  you  cannot  find  anywhere  such  an 
enumeration  of  man's  deliverances  or  praises  for  the  glorious  proofs 
of  his  fatherly  care  for  us,  or  a  more  perfect  representation  to 
praise  him  becomingly,  or  more  fervent  exhortations  to  the  dis- 
charge of  that  holy  duty.  But  however  rich  the  book  may  prove 
in  all  these  respects  to  fit  us  for  a  holy,  pious  and  just  life,  its 
chief  lesson  is  how  we  are  to  bear  the  cross,  and  to  give  the  true 
evidence  of  our  obedience,  by  parting  with  our  affections,  to  sub- 
mit ourselves  to  God,  to  suffer  our  lives  to  be  entirely  guided  by 
his  will,  so  that  the  bitterest  trial,  because  he  sends  it,  seems 
sweet  to  us.  Finally,  not  only  is  the  goodness  of  God  praised  in 
general  terms  to  secure  our  perfect  resignation  to  him,  and  to 
expect  his  aid  in  every  time  of  need,  but  the  free  forgiveness  of 
our  sins,  which  alone  can  effect  our  peace  of  conscience  and  recon- 
ciliation to  God,  are  in  particular  so  strongly  recommended,  that 
there  is  nothing  wanting  to  the  knowledge  of  eternal  life." 

Some,  probably  influenced  by  their  antipathy  for  the  matter  of 
the  Psalms,  find  it  difficult  to  get  reconciled  to  their  farm,  and  / 
feel  disposed  to  call  the  poetic  claim  of  the  Psalms,  which  is  by  * 
no  means  their  highest  claim,  into  question.  Men  of  that  stamp 
have  never  been  wanting.  To  their  shame,  we  adduce  an  evidence 
in  favour  of  the  Psalms  which  an  eminent  scholar  of  classical 
antiquity,  Henry  Stephanus,  furnishes  in  the  preface  of  his  Com- 
mentary on  the  Psalms.*  He  states  his  having  met  at  Rome 
with  some  who,  from  a  one-sided  attachment  to  classical  lore, 
denied  the  poetic  merit  of  the  Psalms,  and  charged  the  poet 
Antonius  Flaminius  with  the  folly  of  attempting  to  reproduce  in 

*  Liber  Psalmorum  Davidis  cum  Catliol.  Exposit.  Ecclesiastica.     Paris, 
1562. 


10  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Roman  verse  the  contents  of  the  Psalter,  which,  said  they,  was 
nothing  else  than  "committing  seed  to  the  arid  sand."  The 
learned  Stephanas  further  states  that,  on  adducing  several  illustra- 
tions, especially  Psalm  civ.,  he  showed  them  that,  "so  far  from 
questioning  the  poetry  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  there  existed  no 
production  which  could  be  conceived  more  poetical,  harmonious, 
and  heart-stirring,  and  mostly  more  ecstatic,  than  just  the  Psalms;* 
that  Flaminius,  therefore,  had  not  selected  an  unfruitful  subject, 
but  was  simply  incompetent  for  the  performance  of  the  task." 

A  passage  taken  from  A.  H.  Franke's  Devotional  Exposition  of 
the  Psalms,  (Halle,  1731,  2  vols.)  may  form  the  transition  from 
the  Reformation  to  our  times.  He  says,  (vol.  i.,  p.  904)  "  Where 
that  is  found,  such  Psalms  are  rightly  understood.  The  man  who 
has  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  nor  denies  himself,  nor  daily  takes  up 
his  cross  and  follows  Christ,  has  no  relish  for  the  Psalms.  They 
gladden  not  his  heart,  but  appear  to  him  like  withered  straw — 
altogether  stale.  But  let  him  be  brought  into  similar  courses  of 
affliction  and  suffering,  and  experience  the  sneers  and  mockery  of 
the  world  for  righteousness'  and  Christ's  sake — let  him  find  out  the 
difficulty  of  the  task  to  surmount  every  obstacle  from  within  and 
from  without,  and  yet  serve  the  Lord  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth — 
and  he  will  learn  that  David's  heart  underwent  other  struggles 
besides  those  which  sprung  from  his  external  relations.  He  will 
mark  in  his  daily  warfare  the  same  enmity  which  God  has 
appointed  to  take  place  between  Christ  and  Belial,  and  between 
the  followers  of  Christ  and  the  followers  of  Satan,  and  find  that 
struggle  expressed  in  the  Psalms ;  as  the  very  first,  in  fact,  states 
it :  *  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the 
ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth  in  the 
seat  of  the  scornful.  But  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord ; 
and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night.  And  he  shall  be 
like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water.'  He,  then,  who  is 
resolved  to  deny  himself,  to  part  with  the  world,  her  pomp  and 
riches,  and  the  favour  of  man,  to  take  the  word  of  God  for  his 
sole  guide,  and  carry  a  peaceful  conscience  to  his  dying  bed,  will 
experience  the  intensity  of  the  struggle  which  is  required,  and 
learn  rightly  to  understand  the  Psalms." 

As  belonging  to  modern  times,  the  words  of  a  celebrated 
politician,  John  Jacob  Moser,  (1785)  equally  renowned  as  a 
statesman,  and  experienced  as  a  Christian,  are  worthy  of  special 
notice.  He  had  been  engaged  in  severe  struggles  for  the  rights  of 

*  Prolatis  delude  aliquot  exemplis,  addebam,  tantum  abesse  ut  Davidici 
Psalmi  nihil  cum  poesi  commune  liabere  putarem,  ut  contra  nihil  illis  esse 
src/T/fcvre/w,  nihil  esse  ^ct/a-^I^^sy,  nihil  esse  yjf>y><rtfuv,  nihil  denique  plerisque 
in  locis  J&vf*p0§tf*ife9  aut  esse  aut  fingi  posse  existimarem.  — Melanchthon, 
who  has  written  a  somewhat  poor  Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  quoted  by 
A.  H.  Franke,  says,  "Hie  liber  elegantissimus  est  in  toto  mundo!" 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

his  country,  and  had  been  on  that  account  unlawfully  imprisoned 
by  his  sovereign  for  a  period  of  five  years,  during  which  the  Bible 
and  hymn  book  were  his  sole  companions.  The  Psalms  made  him 
understand  his  position.  In  harmony  with  the  voices  of  every 
century  he  says,*  "  Those  who  have  never  experienced  great  and 
continuous  distress  of  body  and  of  mind,  neither  understand  the 
Psalms  nor  know  how  to  use  them.  Thus  I  found  it  for  many 
years.  I  fancied  that  I  understood  the  words,  but  they  were  to 
me  a  sealed  book.  For  a  long  time  I  would  not  read  them  at  all. 
Its  cries  out  of  the  depths,  its  enormous  complaints,  though 
regarding  them  not  as  mere  poetry,  I  considered  exaggerated 
hypochondriac  sentiments;  and  my  feelings  thoroughly  revolted 
at  David's  desire  to  be  revenged  upon  his  enemies.  Single  verses, 
in  particular  cases,  sometimes  instructed,  comforted,  and  exhorted 
me.  The  treasure  of  experience,  lucid  wisdom,  profoundly  inti- 
mate and  extensive  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  contained  in 
them;  what  was  meant  by  faithfulness  to  oneself — by  strict  and 
honest  examination  of  the  most  secret  questions  of  the  soul — by 
confidence  in  God,  his  omnipotence,  and  love — by  attachment  to 
him  in  doubt  and  hesitancy — by  looking  up  to  his  Father's  heart 
with  the  deepest  sense  of  personal  unworthiness;  what  was  meant 
by  the  anchorage  of  faith  in  raging  storms — by  the  *  Aber  dock,' 
of  which  Luther  has  so  much  to  say — by  the  words,  '  /  nothing, 
but  Thou  Omnipresent,  Eternal  One,  in,  with,  over  us  all;'  what 
was  meant  by  the  consciousness  of  Thy  gracious  call;  what  was 
the  state  of  mind  described  in  the  words — 

« Although  my  heart  say  No  to  me, 
Thy  word  shall  be  more  sure  to  me,' — 

that  a  fainting  soul  should  be  refreshed,  revived,  and  elevated  by 
the  smallest  ray  of  hope — that  she  might  rise  from  the  dust,  and 
still  in  the  dust  believe  herself  to  be  God's  creature — that  in  the 
prospect  of  impending  peril  and  sinking  she  might  still  cling  to 
him;  what  it  was,  in  articulo  mortis,  to  say— 

'I  live  and  die,  Lord  Christ,  to  thee, 
In  death  and  life  belong  to  thee,' — 

that  the  omnipotent,  quickening  Spirit  should  govern  to  the  end 
of  the  world  the  entire  Church  of  believers — that  there  is  but  one 
God,  one  truth,  one  way,  one  faith,  one  experience,  one  <  Spiritus 
Rector ,  throughout  all  times  and  generations;  how  much  these 
things  contribute  to  establish  and  confirm  the  heart  in  the  truth — 
to  inspire  confident  courage  in  every  kind  of  trouble  and  con- 
sciousness of  individual  unworthiness — to  gain  spiritual  strength — 
to  judge  correctly  of  the  connection  between  good  and  evil  in  the 
world — to  produce  a  firm  and  sure  step  in  the  path  of  life ;  how 

*  Doctor  Leidemit.     Frankfort,  1783. 


12  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

far  they  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  our  earthly  existence — of 
a  calm,  refreshing,  and  joyous  prospect  of  our  transition  into  the 
kingdom;  with  how  much  assurance  we  may  link  ourselves  to  the 
gigantic  chain  of  the  experience  of  thousands  of  years,  and  with 
tears  of  ecstatic  joy  glory  even  now  in  the  hope  of  recounting 
them  with  David  and  all  the  saints,  and  of  blending  our  voices 
with  the  harmony  of  praise  and  adoration  throughout  a  blissful 
eternity;  what  lies  involved  in  so  many  other  feelings  of  ineffable 
3elight  to  our  hearts,  though  too  spiritual  to  be  expressed: — all 
this  gradually  dawned  upon  me,  and  caused  me  to  thank  God  for 
the  Psalms  when  I  found  myself  in  great  tribulation,  anguish,  and 
temptation,  both  from  within  and  without.  Oh,  how  precious 
and  dear  was  then  the  possession  of  the  Psalms ;  how  much  com- 
fort, light,  and  strength  have  thej  imparted  to  my  fainting  soul. 
I  often  not  only  missed  the  .way,  but  lost  the  very  trace  of  it.  I 
sat  me  down  as  if  I  had  become  petrified.  One  word  from  the 
Psalms  was  a  sunbeam  to  me;  like  a  lark,  I  settled  on  the  pinions 
of  that  eagle;  carried  by  her,  I  scaled  the  rock,  and  beheld  from 
that  eminence  the  world,  with  its  cares  and  mine,  stretched  out 
beneath  me;  I  acquired  to  think,  infer,  mourn,  pray,  wait,  hope, 
and  speak  in  the  spirit  of  David — 'I  thank  thee,  0  Lord,  that 
thou  hast  humbled  me/  I  acquired  to  know  and  understand  the 
rights  of  God — his  purposes  of  love  and  faithfulness  to  every  man, 
but  especially  to  myself — his  mighty  wisdom  towards  us  his 
creatures  in  our  present  state  of  probation,  as  well  as  the  blessed- 
ness, benefit,  and  necessity  of  sufferings  for  our  cleansing,  purifica- 
tion, and  perfection.  I  learned  to  esteem  myself  happy  in  being 
permitted  to  endure  suffering.  I  attained  to  a  better  knowledge 
of  the  wisdom  and  love  of  God,  the  truth  of  his  word  and  assur- 
ance, the  unalterable  faithfulness  of  his  promises,  the  riches  of  his 
mercy  and  long-suffering;  of  my  own  dependence,  insufficiency, 
nothingness,  and  inability  without  him,  of  the  wickedness  and 
deceit  of  my  heart,  of  the  world,  of  men,  and  of  the  profound  wis- 
dom of  God  in  the  blending  of  evil  with  good.  I  became  less  in 
my  own  sight,  more  suffering  and  affectionate,  more  sparing  and 
forgiving,  more  severe  with  myself,  more  lenient  to  others.  I 
learned  to  trust  God  in  all  my  ways,  and  to  renounce  the  claims  of 
fame,  honour,  and  comfort.  It  was  nourishment  to  my  soul  to  be 
enabled  to  say — i  Lord,  let  me  possess  but  Thee/  I  asked  for  no 
more  aid  in  temporal  concerns  than  his  wisdom  might  find  good 
for  the  best  of  my  soul.  I  learned  to  become  more  contented  in 
my  desires,  more  moderate  in  my  enjoyments.  I  was  enabled 
with  tears  to  express  my  gratitude  for  mercies,  which  formerly  I 
counted  not  as  blessings,  but  as  my  right  and  due.  If  my  soul 
would  keep  holyday,  the  Psalms  became  my  temple  and  my 
altar.  Next  to  the  writings  of  the  New  Testament,  they  are  now 
to  me  my  dearest  and  most  precious  book — the  golden  mirror,  the 


i 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

cylopaedia  of  the  most  blessed  and  fruitful  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence of  my  life ;  to  thoroughly  understand  them  will  be  the 
occupation  of  eternity,  and  our  second  life  will  form  their  com- 
mentary/' 

Though  our  days  are  not  rich  in  testimonies  of  this  kind,  they 
are  by  no  means  wanting — nay,  they  are  not  wanting  on  the  part 
of  those  lofty  minds,  whom  our  nation  counts  among  her  classics. 
Prominent  amongst  these  is  Herder,  of  whose  manifold  statements, 
setting  forth  the  value  of  the  Psalms,  we  insert  here  but  one 
expression,  which  recommends  itself  both  by  its  freedom  and 
truthfulness.  "  The  use  of  the  Psalms  became  the  blessing  of 
humanity,  not  only  on  account  of  their  contents,  but  also  on 
account  of  their  form.  Just  as  no  lyric  poet  among  the  Greeks 
and  the  Romans  furnished  such  a  mass  of  doctrine,  consolation, 
and  instruction,  so  there  is  hardly  anywhere  to  be  found  so  rich  a 
variety  of  tone  in  every  species  of  song  as  here.  For  two  thou- 
sand years  have  the  Psalms  frequently  and  differently  been  trans- 
lated and  imitated,  and  still  there  are  many  new  formations  of 
their  much-embracing  and  rich  manner  possible.  They  are 
flowers,  which  change  their  appearance  in  every  time  and  in  every 
soil — but  always  bloom  in  the  beauty  of  youth.  Just  because  the 
Psalter  contains  the  simplest  lyrical  expressions  of  the  most  diver- 
sified feelings — it  is  the  hymn-book  for  all  times."* 

Herder's  observations  in  his  "Spirit  of  Hebrew  Poetry/'  con- 
cerning the  Psalms  as  a  whole,  and  particular  classes  of  them, 
contain  many  excellent  hints  for  expositors.  Andrew  Cramer, 
who  as  a  poet  ranks  among  our  classics,  and  as  a  preacher  stands 
as  a  model  for  all  times,  has  in  a  yet  higher  degree  merited  of  the 
interpretation  of  the  Psalms.  The  treatises  which  accompany  his 
Translation  of  the  Psalmsf  are  so  many  testimonies  of  their 
religious  and  poetic  value.  To  the  testimony  of  Cramer,  we  string 
that  of  Stolberg,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Psalms,  contained  in 
vol.  iii.  of  his  History  of  Religion.  John  Mueller,  the  historian, 
has  many  beautiful  sayings  on  the  spirit  and  influence  of  the 
Psalms.  Writing  to  his  brother,  he  says : — "  David  yields  me 
every  day  the  most  delightful  hour.  There  is  nothing  Greek, 
nothing  Roman,  nothing  in  the  West,  nor  in  the  land  towards 
midnight,  to  equal  David,  when  the  God  of  Israel  chose  to  praise 
him  higher  than  the  gods  of  the  nations.  The  utterance  of  his 
mind  sinks  deep  into  the  heart,  and  never  in  my  life,  never  have  I 
thus  seen  God."  "The  Psalms/'  he  says  elsewhere,  "  teach  one  to 

*  Treatises  and  Letters  on  the  Belles  Lettres.     Works,  vol.  xvi.  p.  17. 

f  Poetical  Translation  of  the  Psalms,  with  Treatises.  Leipsio,  1759. 
It  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Lyrical  Translation  of  the  Psalms,  by 
Joseph  Anthony  Cramer.  Hildesheim,  1787.  This  work  of  a  Catholic 
author  has  no  value. 


14  COMMENTAEY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

prize  a  much  tried  life.''*  Even  Lichtenberg,  though  not  exactly 
a  man  who  would  suffer  his  mind  to  be  captivated  by  his  feelings, 
expresses  himself  with  earnestness  and  warmth  concerning  the 
moral  and  religious  tendency  of  the  Psalms,  j-  Songs,  which  like 
the  Psalms  have  thus  stood  the  test  of  three  thousand  years,  con- 
tain a  germ  for  eternity* 


SECTION  II. 

OF  THE   FORM,   DIVISION,   DESIGN,   AND  USE   OF  THE  PSALTER 
IN   OLD   TESTAMENT   TIMES. 

THE  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament  is  of  a  twofold  kind.  It 
embraces  Lyric  songs,  which  originally  streamed  forth  as  the 
emotions  of  the  heart  for  the  personal  gratification  of  the  singer, 
and  Didactic  poems,  which  were  composed  with  a  view  to  others, 
and  were  on  that  account  aided  by  reflection.  The  latter  are  either 
brief  sentences,  as  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon,  or  more  extensive 
poems,  as  the  Book  of  Job,  which  possesses  however  a  lyrical  cha- 
racter, because  it  describes  the  personal  struggles  of  its  author. 
The  lyric  songs  of  the  Old  Testament,  with  one  exception,  (2  Sam. 
i.  19,)  are  all  of  a  religious  kind,  and  go  by  the  term  of  "  Psalms," 
i.  e.  songs  sung  with  musical  accompaniment.  Such  songs  were 
offered  to  the  Lord  when  he  led  Israel  out  of  Egypt.  The  people 
sang  the  song  of  deliverance,  and  Miriam  and  the  women,  singing 
and  playing  the  timbrel,  repeated  the  first  verse.  (Exod.  xv.  20, 21.) 
Psalm  xc.  is  a  psalm  of  Moses.  The  song  of  Deborah  is  another 
ancient  psalm.  (Judges  v.)  The  prophets  of  Samuel's  school  used 
to  sing,  (1  Sam.  xix.  20,  21;)J  but  above  all,  David  united  from 
his  earliest  youth  the  art  of  singing  with  that  of  playing  the  harp, 
and  practised  daily,  (1  Sam.  xviii.  10.)  The  instrument  which  he 
used  was  the  harp  or  guitar;  he  played  it  with  his  hand,  (1  Sam. 
xvi.  23;  xviii.  10.)  His  beautiful  funeral  ditty  on  the  death  of 
Jonathan  shows  that  he  also  used  to  tune  his  strings  for  other 
themes  than  the  praise  of  God.  (2  Sam.  i.  19-27.)  The  Psalter 
being  a  collection  of  religious  songs,  has  only  preserved  the 
spiritual  songs  of  David. 

The  form  of  the  lyric  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament  deserves  to 
be  noticed.     The  definition  of  poetry  as  "bound  speech"  points  to 

*  Jno.  of  Mueller's  Works,  vol.  v.  pp.  122.  244. 

f  Lichtenberg' s  Works,  vol.  i.  pp.    15.  37. 

j  "  Prophesying,'* i.  e.  a  prophetically  inspired  recitation  or  song. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

the  fact  that  the  poet  imposes  fetters  and  prescribes  a  measure, 
both  to  the  expression  of  his  sentiments  and  to  the  sentiments 
themselves.  This  renders  the  utterance  of  the  most  stirring  emo- 
tions harmonious  and  beautiful.  This  fetter  is  in  the  poems  of 
classical  antiquity  the  syllabic  measure  or  metre,  while  it  appears 
in  the  songs  of  several  Eastern  nations,  (who  are  however  not 
unacquainted  with  measure,}  as  e.  g.  the  Hindoos,  Persians,  and 
Arabs,  as  rhyme,  and  in  those  of  the  Icelanders  and  Spaniards  as 
assonance.  The  parallelism  of  the  verse-members  binds  the  speech 
of  Old  Testament  poetry.  This  form  of  poetry  obtains  also  among 
the  Chinese.  We  can  easily  conceive  that  the  most  impassioned 
speech  did  not  only  assume  a  metrical  form,  but  involuntarily  pass 
into  it,  since  enthusiasm  has  an  invariable  tendency  for  rhythmical 
expression,  even  in  outward  movements;  hence  we  find  the  dance 
joined  to  worship  and  singing;*  hence  David  danced  before  the 
ark  of  the  covenant.f  It  strikes  one  as  strange,  that  a  poet  should 
fetter  himself  with  searching  for  like-sounding  words  in  the  moment 
of  most  vivid  excitement.  But  is  not  the  musical  effect  of  like- 
sounding  words  clearly  seen  ?  as  is  the  case  with  assonance  and  the 
parallelism  of  members,  where  the  words  frequently  correspond  in 
so  exact  a  manner  that  they  actually  rhyme  in  the  original.  But 
this  is  not  all.  The  origin  of  that  poetic  form  may  be  accounted 
for  on  other  grounds.  Under  the  impulse  of  strong  emotion, 
thought  ignores  to  express  itself  in  simple  proportions :  it  either 
separates  into  synonymous  members  of  a  qualifying  tendency,  or 
into  antithesis.  What,  then,  is  more  natural  than  that  these 
members  thus  mutually  related  in  thought,  should  by  rhyme, 
assonance,  or  parallelism,  become  equally  so  in  form?  (Gen.  iv. 
23.  Psalm  viii.  5;  xxv.  4.)  In  Hebrew  poetry  a  thought  most 
frequently  resolves  itself  into  symmetrical  and  synonymous  mem- 
bers till  it  gets  exhausted.  Sometimes  a  second  or  third  member 
adds  some  new  and  closely  allied  defining  remark ;  or  proposition 
and  counter-proposition  (thesis  and  anti-thesis)  are  placed  together 
symmetrically. 

Thus  we  have  in  Psalm  i.  1,  three,  and  in  verse  2,  two  proposi- 
tions, exactly  corresponding  in  sense,  and  used  only  for  the 
exhaustion  of  the  idea:  in  verse  3,  we  find  there  is  first  the 
leading  thought  which  advances  through  the  succeeding  three 
propositions  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  last  expresses  in  a  direct 
form  the  indirect  statements  of  the  former.  In  Psalm  ii.  the  two 

*  Exod.  xv.  20.  Psalm  cxlix.  3 ;  cl.  4.  The  opinion  which  refers  the 
rhyme  of  romantic  poetry  to  Arabic  origin  must  be  held  as  obsolete. 
Rhyme  may  be  found  in  Latin  ecclesiastical  hymns  as  early  as  the  fifth 
century:  it  exists  also  in  the  earliest  Celtic  songs,  and  flows  successively 
through  many  verses,  as  in  Oriental  poems.  Vide  Wolf,  p.  279. 

f  2  Sam.  vi.  16.  On  the  connection  between  music  and  dancing,  vide 
Herder's  Spirit  of  Hebrew  Poetry,  vol.  ii.  p.  266. 


16  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

members  of  the  first  five  verses  are  respectively  synonymous :  in 
verse  12,  the  first  two  members  are  synonymous,  the  third  con- 
tinues the  idea,  while  the  last  introduces  the  antithesis.  Not 
unfrequently  word  corresponds  to  word  in  the  two  members  of  a 
verse;  this,  however,  does  not  necessarily  belong  to  the  law  of 
parallelism.  Such  parallelisms  occur  also  in  the  prophets,  when 
their  language  gets  impassioned,  which  otherwise  is  rather  rheto- 
rical than  poetical.  Compare  in  particular  the  Book  of  Lamenta- 
tions with  the  Prophecies  of  Jeremiah.  In  Hab.  iii.  Isaiah  xii. 
Jonah  ii.  may  be  seen  some  psalms  of  the  prophets.  (Isa.  xxxviii. 
Hezekiah's.) 

The  Psalter,  which  the  Jews  of  the  later  period  divided  as  early 

\     as  two  hundred  years  before  Christ*  into  five  books,  (Psalms  i.  xli. 

\  xlii.  Ixxii.  Ixxiii.  Ixxxix.  xc.  cvi.  cvii.  and  cl.)  corresponding  to 
the  five  books  of  the  Pentateuch,  is  exclusively  designed  for  reli- 
gious purposes,  and  contains,  therefore,  religious  songs  only.  The 
edification  of  individuals,  however,  was  less  contemplated  than  that 
of  the  congregation,  as  is  the  case  with  our  hymn  books.  Hence 
many  Psalms  bear  the  title,  "To  the  chief  musician,"  by  which 
was  meant  the  Levitical  musician,  whose  ofiice  it  was  to  conduct 
the  worship  of  the  congregation.  That  arrangement  explains, 
firstly,  why  David's  secular  funeral  ditty  on  Jonathan,  recorded  in 
the  historic  books,  finds  no  place  in  the  Psalter,  and  why  but  two 
psalms  of  Solomon,  (Psalms  Ixxii.  and  cxxvii.)  who,  according  to 
1  Kings  iv.  32,  composed  one  thousand  and  five  songs,  have  been 
inserted.  It  would  indeed  appear,  from  verse  33  of  the  passage 
alluded  to,  that  Solomon's  Song  possessed  a  less  religious  character; 
and  when  it  is  said,  in  verse  29,  that  he  possessed  "  largeness  of 
heart,  even  as  the  sand  that  is  on  the  sea-shore/'  we  may  interpret 
that  he  compassed  the  boundaries  of  knowledge  as  the  ocean  does 
the  shores  of  the  earth.  Even  Psalm  cxxvii.  though  piously  con- 
ceived, contemplates  social  prosperity.  Secondly,  it  may  be  inferred 
from  the  design  of  the  Psalms,  that  the  personal  songs  of  David 
were  intentionally  excluded  from  the  collection  of  the  Psalms; 
hence  the  absence  of  his  last  song.  (2  Sam.  xxiii.)  When  the  col- 
lection and  arrangement  into  five  books  of  the  separate  Psalms  took 
place,  we  know  not;  that  it  was  a  gradual  process  is  evident  from 
the  following  details :  The  first  book,  excepting  Psalms  i.  ii.  x. 
xxxiii.  which  are  without  titles,  contains  songs  of  David  only;  the 
second  book,  chiefly  the  songs  of  his  musicians,  the  songs  of  Korah 
and  Asaph,  with  a  supplement  of  Davidic  songs.  (Psalms  Ii. — Ixv. 
Ixviii. — Ixx.)  The  compiler  of  the  third  bookf  has  inserted  the 
words,  "The  prayers  of  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  are  ended/' 

*  This  division  is  that  of  the  LXX. 

f  Linguistic  grounds  show  that  the  compiler  of  the  second  book  did  not 
add  that  sentence.    See  De  Wette's  Comment,  on  the  Psalms,  p.  18. 


INTRODUCTION. 


17 


between  this  and  the  second :  it  was  therefore  no  longer  his  inten- 
tion to  collect  Davidic  songs.  The  fourth  and  fifth  books,  again, 
contain  some  of  the  psalms  of  David,  but  the  number  of  those 
which  appear  to  have  been  used  in  the  services  of  the  Second 
Temple  increase,  while  some  bear  distinct  marks  of  having  been  com- 
posed after  the  return  from  the  captivity.  (Psalms  cxxvi.  cxxxvii. 
cxlix.)  The  hypothesis  of  a  gradual  collection  alone  explains  the 
recurrence  of  the  same  Psalms  with  slight  deviations.  (Cf.  Psalm 
xiv.  with  liii.;  xl.  18  with  Ixx.)  The  restoration  and  rearrange- 
ment of  the  temple-worship  took  place  during  the  reigns  of  Hezekiah 
and  Josiah.  Songs  of  praise  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the 
feasts;  hence  it  is  thought  that  the  collections  of  the  Psalms  were, 
in  all  probability,  if  not  earlier,  then  instituted.  It  appears  from 
Prov.  xxv.  1,  that  Hezekiah  gave  orders  for  a  collection  of  Solo- 
mon's Proverbs;  according  to  2  Chron.  xxix.  30,  he  caused  the 
Songs  of  David  to  be  sung;  how  probable,  therefore,  that  he 
ordered  a  collection  of  the  Songs  of  David  and  his  musicians  to  be 
made.  The  Psalter,  in  its  present  form,  however,  cannot  be  traced 
to  a  time  anterior  to  the  Second  Temple. 

The  titles  of  the  Psalms  did  not  originate  with  the  compilers, 
but  with  those  who  first  wrote  them  down,  or  in  the  authors  them- 
selves. For  it  is  not  uncommon  with  poets  among  the  ancient 
Arabians  and  Syrians,  to  prefix  their  own  names  to  their  poems : 
thus  the  prophets  frequently  place  their  names  at  the  head  of  their 
prophecies,  (Isa.  i.  2 ;  Jer.  i.  4;  Hos.  i.  2,)  as  e.  g.  Balaam,  in  Num- 
bers xxiv.  3.  15,  Habakkuk's  Psalm  (Hab.  iii.,)  and  the  Song  of 
Hezekiah,  (Isa.  xxxviii.  9.)  That  David  adhered  to  the  same  prac- 
tice is  undeniably  clear  from  2  Samuel  xxiii.  1,  cf.  also  the  title  to 
Psalm  xviii.  which  had  been  seen  by  the  author  of  the  Books  of 
Samuel  (2  Sam.  xxii.)*  Those  titles  may  confidently  be  ascribed 
to  David  himself,  which  are  couched  in  poetic  language,  and  relate 
to  the  contents  of  the  Psalm ;  e.  g.  Psalm  xxii.  if  we  render  with 
Luther,  "Concerning  the  early  pursued  hind/'  and  refer  this  to 
David  himself;  and  Psalm  Ivi.  where  David  describes  himself  as  a 
mute,  innocent  dove  in  a  foreign  country.  Those  Psalms,  how- 
ever, which  simply  have,  "Of  David/'  may  have  been  added  at 
their  being  written  down  for  the  first  time,  since  the  author's  name 
was  not  immaterial  to  the  admirer  of  a  song.  If  the  addition  of 
the  titles  originated  with  the  compilers  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah, 
we  should  be  shut  up  to  the  supposition  that  certain  verbal  tradi- 
tions respecting  the  separate  psalms  had  been  transmitted,  which 
certainly  is  the  less  probable  case.  The  opinion  has  been  diffused 
in  modern  times,  that  the  compilers  determined  the  titles  from 

*  The  Song  of  Lamentation  (2  Sam.  i.)  is  not  likely  to  have  been  recorded 
in  "The  Book  of  the  Upright,  without  any  account  of  the  author  and  the 
theme:  17  and  18  verses  furnish  the  words  of  the  title. 
2* 


18  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

mere  supposition,  or  the  indications  contained  in  the  historical 
books;  but  (Ps.  vii.  Ix.)  not  all  the  statements  are  connected  with 
the  historical  books,  while  those  which  are,  Psalin  liv.  excepted, 
are  by  no  means  taken  from  them  literally,  (Psalms  xxxiv.  li.  lii. 
Ivii.  lix.  Ix.)  and  in  Psalm  Ivi.  there  even  occurs  a  slight  difference 
in  matter,  as  compared  with  1  Sam.  xxi.  etc. 

Respecting  the  design  and  use  of  the  Psalms,  we  may  divide 
them  as  to  their  contents  into  songs  of  praise,  of  thanksgiving,  of 
complaint,  and  instruction,  as  Psalm  i.  and  xxxvii.  A  portion  of 
them  may  at  once  be  regarded  as  prayers,  or  colloquies  of  the  heart 
with  God;  (Ps.  xix.  15,  where  A.  V.  renders,  "The  meditation  of 
my  heart.")  Hence  the  first  two  collections  of  the  Psalms  are 
called  (Ps.  Ixxii.  20,)  "  The  Prayers  of  David!'  These,  partly 
sung  under  circumstances  in  which  the  psalmists  could  not  possibly 
contemplate  anything  but  their  own  immediate  need,  were  after- 
wards designed  for  congregational  use,  and  furnished  with  the 
addition,  "To  the  chief  musician/'  and  the  direction  on  which 
instruments  they  were  to  be  performed.  David  however,  who  calls 
himself  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,)  "the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel/'  com- 
posed others  expressly  for  the  use  of  the  congregation,  as  e.  g.  on 
the  removal  of  the  ark  to  Mount  Zion,  (Psalms  xv.  xxiv.)  on 
going  to  war,  on  triumphal  festivities,  (Ps.  xx.  xxi.  Ixviii.)  and 
on  pilgrimages  to  the  sanctuary.  (Ps.  cxxii.)  Personal  relations 
are  of  course  entirely  absent  in  that  species  of  psalms.  On  this 
point,  it  has  already  been  observed  that  psalms  too  personal  in 
their  allusions  were  excluded :  if,  however,  certain  psalms,  to 
judge  from  the  occasions  to  which  their  titles  refer,  lead  us  to 
expect  individual  references,  as  e.  g.  Psalm  lii.  liv.  Ivi.  Ivii.  we 
should  remember  that  the  absence  of  historical  allusion  has  its 
analogy  in  the  spiritual  songs  of  Luther,  Paul,  Gerhard,  etc. 

It  is  the  mark  of  religious  morbidity  if  a  pious  poet  cannot  free 
himself  from  his  personal  relations,  while  it  indicates  strength  if 
he  knows  to  enter  into  general  truths  and  the  relations  of  God  to 
man  and  his  Church.  In  the  measure  as  a  Christian's  piety  is 
developed,  he  learns  to  find  under  even  extraordinary  difficulties  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer  the  expression  adapted  to  his  need.  The  Psalms 
of  David  may  have  been  extensively  circulated  during  his  life-time : 
we  read  (2  Sam.  i.  18)  that  he  caused  the  funeral  ditty  on  Jona- 
than to  be  learned  by  heart:  the  same  song  had  been  inserted  into 
a  collection  of  National  Songs,  "  The  Book  of  Jasher,"  (the  book 
of  the  upright.)*  To  infer  from  the  title,  Psalm  Ix.  was  intended 
to  be  committed  to  memory.  David  had  appointed  singers,  (1  Chron. 
xvi.  37.  41.)  both  at  the  ark  of  the  covenant  and  the  tabernacle, 
who  chiefly  used  his  own  compositions :  we  may  also  presume  that 

*  It  is  not  likely  that  that  book  contained  Psalms,  because  it  appears 
chiefly  to  have  celebrated  great  heroes  and  heroic  feats. 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

David  himself  used  to  sing  psalms  in  the  service  (cf.  Psalm  xx. 
xxi.  and  Ps.  xxvi.  6,  7.)  In  the  time  of  Amos,  about  two  hun- 
dred years  after  David,  his  Psalms  were  so  popular  that  the  nobility 
used  to  frame  secular  songs  on  their  model,  (Amos.  vi.  5.)  Heze- 
kiah  appointed  the  singing  of  the  Psalms  as  part  of  the  divine  ser- 
vice, (2  Chron.  xxix.  30 :)  so  did  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Second  Temple,  (Ezra  iii.  10,  11;  Neh.  xii.  24,  45.) 
Even  such  psalms,  which,  with  slight  deviations,  are  repetitions  or 
compositions  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  as  e.  g.  Psalms  liii.  Ixx.  cviii. 
and  the  final  verses  at  a  later  period  added  to  others,  (Psalms  xiv. 
Ixviii.  xxxv.)  indicate  the  diligent  use  of  Davidic  songs,  both 
during  the  captivity  and  the  period  of  the  Second  Temple. 

Song  and  music  were  prominent  features  of  divine  worship  in 
David's  time.  This  is  evident  from  the  large  number  of  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  Levites  who  were  expressly  appointed  for 
singing  and  the  performance  of  music.  (1  Chron.  xxv.  [xxvi.]  7.) 
Not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  singing  men  and  singing 
women  returned  from  the  exile.  (Neh.  vii.  67.)  Leaders  were 
appointed  to  the  several  divisions,  Asaph,  Heman  and  Jeduthun, 
(1  Chron.  xxv.  6.)  A  singer  is  mentioned  (1  Chron.  xv.  [xvi.] 
22,)  on  the  occasioa  jof  the  removal  of  the  ark,  whose  special  busi- 
ness it  was  to  teach  song.  So  in  the  time  of  the  Second  Temple 
the  singers  had  their  leaders.  (Neh.  xii.  24;  xlii.  46.)  "David 
beautified  their  feasts,  and  set  in  order  the  solemn  times  perfectly, 
that  they  might  praise  his  holy  name,  and  that  the  temple  might 
sound  from  morning."  (Sir.  xlvii.  12.  [10.]) 

The  chief  instruments  used  by  the  Levites  were,  according  to 
the  records  of  the  Books  of  Chronicles,  cymbals,  harps,  and  lutes; 
according  to  Psalm  v.  1,  we  should  add  the  flute,  which  is  fre- 
quently noticed  on  Egyptian  monuments.  At  processions,  females 
played  the  "doff"  i.  e.  the  bass-tambourine,  which  is  still  very 
common  in  the  East.  The  monuments  of  ancient  Egypt  show  this 
instrument  to  have  been  struck  by  females  at  religious  festivals. 
The  same  monuments,  six  thousand  years  old,  have  representations 
of  a  large  number  of  stringed  instruments;  an  eight-stringed  harp, 
a  three-stringed  guitar.*  The  Israelites  may  have  brought  them 
from  Egypt.  The  music  and  song  of  the  Levites  used  to  be  per- 
formed at  the  times  of  the  morning  and  evening  sacrifices,  but 
chiefly  on  Sabbaths  and  festivals.  (Psalms  Ixxxi.  xcii.  cxviii.) 
After  the  priests  had  finished  the  sacrifice,  while  the  trumpets 
sounded,  the  Levites,  accompanied  by  music,  used  to  begin  their 
song.  (1  Chron.  xvi.  40—42;  2  Chron.  xxix.  25—30;  Psalm  xx.  4; 
Neh.  xii.  42,  43;  1  Mace.  iv.  54.)  The  picture  of  a  proces- 
sion of  the  ark  through  the  outer  court,  accompanied  by  song  and 
music,  is  indicated  in  Psalm  Ixviii.  25—28. 

*  The  name  "lute"  is,  like  the  instrument  itself,  of  Oriental  origin;  its 
Arabic  name  ia  "alaud." 


20  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS, 

"They  have  seen  thy  goings,  0  God. 

"Even  the  goings  of  my  God,  my  King,  in  the  sanctuary. 

"The  singers  went  before,  the  players  on  instruments  followed 
after. 

"Among  them  were  the  damsels  playing  with  timbrels, 

"  Bless  ye  God  in  the  congregations,  even  the  Lord,  from  the 
fountain  of  Israel."  (Of.  margin.) 

Nearest  to  the  ark  were  the  singers,  then  came  the  players  on 
stringed  instruments  along  with  damsels  striking  the  tambourine. 
Even  a  verse  of  their  song  is  given.  In  the  description  of  the 
dedication  of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  the  music  of  the  Levites  on 
stringed  instruments  was  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  the  silver 
trumpets  of  the  priests.  Even  the  Pagans  found  those  songs  so 
sweet,  that  during  the  captivity  they  asked  the  Levites  for  some 
of  their  Psalms.  (Ps.  cxxxviii.  3.) 

Antiphonic  choruses  obtained  in  the  remotest  times.  (Of.  Exod. 
xv.  20,  21.)  They  existed  during  the  period  of  the  Second  Tem- 
ple. (Neh.  xii.  40 — 42.)  Those  choruses  distributed  among  them- 
selves the  contents  of  the  songs,  and  were  not  confined  to  the  mere 
repetition  of  the  same  tune  in  a  lower  key,  as  is  the  custom  in  the 
modern  East.  (Niebuhr's  Travels,  i.  p.  176.)  This  is  evident  from 
many  psalms,  (Psalms  xx.  Ixviii.  cxviii.  cxxxii.  cxxxiv.)  but  chiefly 
from  Psalm  cxxxvi.  where  the  refrain,  "For  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever/'  was  doubtless  sung  by  a  chorus.  "Wa-should  then  con- 
ceive of  sacred  song  as  either  consisting  of  two  responding  choruses 
or  of  a  Levite  precentor,  responded  by  a  chorus  of  Levites. 
Responsive  song  seems  to  have  been  common  among  the  ancient 
Egyptians.*  Responses,  indeed,  belong  to  the  character  of  national 
song.*}*  It  is  a  question  how  far  the  congregation  took  part  in  sing- 
ing. To  the  best  of  our  knowledge,  the  Old  Testament  nowhere 
mentions  congregational  sacred  singing.  It  appears  that  the 
Levites  only  used  to  sing  at  public  worship.  There  is  nothing 
strange  in  this,  if  we  bear  in  mind  the  relation  of  the  priesthood 
to  the  people  under  the  Jewish  economy.  The  service  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  corresponds  in  this  respect  also  to  the  idea 
and  form  of  the  Old  Testament  service.  In  the  former  the  share 
of  the  people  has  since  about  the  sixth  century  been  restricted  to 
the  antiphonies  of  the  "formulae  solennes,"  and  even  that  small 
share  passed  at  a  later  period  into  the  "schola  cantorum"  It  may 

*  Champillion  describes  an  ancient  Egyptian  grotto-painting,  represent- 
ing a  singer  accompanied  by  a  musician,  and  supported  by  two  choruses, 
consisting  of  males  and  females.  (Hengstenberg's  Moses  and  Egypt, 
p.  133.)  The  support  may  probably  mean,  that  now  the  choruses  perform 
simultaneously  (the  females  only  marking  the  time),  and  then  the  singer 
performs  a  solo. 

f  Wolf,  p.  122,  etc.,  who  shows  that  the  refrain  occurs  in  the  oldest 
species  of  national  song,  the  Icelandic,  etc. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

even  be  questioned  whether  the  refrains  frequently  occurring  in 
the  Psalms,  (Psalms  xlii.  xliii.  xlvi.  Ivii.)  or  other  emphasized  final 
words,  were  sung  by  the  people  at  all,  and  not  entirely  confined  to 
the  singers.  Since,  however,  from  the  period  after  the  exile,  the 
prayers  and  songs  used  to  receive  the  confirmation  of  the  people 
by  an  "Amen,"  while  they  lifted  up  their  hands  and  bowed  their 
heads,  (Neh.  viii.  6,)  we  may  assume  that  the  Hebrew  people*  used 
to  sing  formulae,  similar  to  those  to  which  in  the  ninth  and  tenth 
centuries  the  share  of  the  Roman  Catholic  people  was  restricted, 
viz. — Hallelujah,  and  Kyrie  Eleyson;f  at  all^  events  it  is  not 
improbable  that  the  people  joined  in  the  singing  cTthlfreTrain.  A 
similar  relation  obtained  in  the  synagogue  service  of  the  later  Jews. 
But  apart  from  the  service  there  existed  religious  songs  among  the 
people;  we  may  especially  assume  the  existence  of  Songs  of  Pil- 
grimage. (Psalm  cxxii.)  Many  think  that  the  so-called  "Songs 
of  Degree"  (in  Luther's  version,  "Songs  in  the  Higher  Choir," 
because  he  believed  that  they  used  to  be  sung  from  the  high  choir 
like  the  Psalms  of  the  ancient  church,)  were  songs  of  pilgrimage 
used  by  the  Israelites,  who  went  up  to  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  to 
the  three  great  festivals.  Here  we  have  once  more  a  resemblance 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  for  the  so-called  "Songs  of  Pil- 
grimage" (Hoffman,  pp.  113 — 129,)  are  among  the  oldest  sacred 
national  songs.  The  songs  in  2  Sam.  i.  18,  Psalm  Ix.  seem  to  be 
national,  because  they  were  intended  to  be  learnt  by  heart. 

Another  question  remains.  What  was  the  manner  of  singing? 
The  more  common  view  inclines  to  a  cantillare  rather  than  a  can- 
tare.  Something  like  the  Mass  service,  or  the  intonations  of  the 
Lutheran  clergy  at  the  altar — a  solemn  chanting,  during  which  the 
voice  rests  with  diversified  modulations  on  separate  notes.  This 
view  has  in  its  favour  that,  probably,  every  species  of  national  song 
was  originally  sung  only  in  that  manner.  Fauriel  says,  that  the 
singing  of  the  Greek  clephts  resembles  cathedral  song;  Walker, 
that  the  ancient  Irish  bards  used  thus  to  sing  the  songs  of  Ossian. 
Synagogic  singing  (the  notes  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  peri- 
odical, "The  Jew"  \I)er  Jude^\  Selig.  vol.  ii.  p.  80,)  and  the  sing- 
ing of  the  Mohammedans  at  the  reading  of  the  Koran  and  the 
Dsikr  (i.  e.  the  recitation  of  the  name  of  the  Deity,)  are  of  the 
same  kind.  Lane  (Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Modern  Egyp- 
tians, Lond.  1836,  vol.  ii.  pp.  92,  192)  gives  specimens.  Even 
Greek  religious  songs  (in  the  second  century)  were  sung  in  a  man- 
ner related  to  cathedral  song,  as  appears  from  Bellermann's 
"Hymns  of  Dionysius  and  Mesomedes,"  Berlin,  1840.  Synagogic 

*  Haberfeld  (Baruch  or  the  Doxologies  of  the  Bible.  Leips.  1806,) 
expatiates  on  the  antiphonies  of  the  Old  Testament  service,  but  furnishes 
suppositions  only.  He  admits,  as  is  maintained  by  some,  that  Sir.  1.  24, 
is  an  antiphony  of  the  people,  which  is  the  most  important  passage. 

f  Hoffman's  History  of  Sacred  Song.     1832.     P.  7,  etc. 


22  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

singing,  the  liturgic  singing  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  more 
ancient  Christian  cathedral  song,  coincide  in  the  lengthening  and 
modulating  of  certain  final  notes;  they  are,  among  the  Jews,  the 
word  "echad;"  one,  in  the  formula,  "Thy  God  is  one  God/'  in 
the  Mohammedan  Dsikrs,  the  syllable  "Al,"  in  Allah;  in  the 
Mass-services,  the  syllable,  "  Jah,"  in  Hallelujah.*  The  cantilla- 
tion  of  the  Psalms  is  again  probable  from  their  nature,  which  ren- 
ders their  separation  into  strophes  of  equal  length  impossible. 
Unequal  strophes  occur  in  most  of  the  Psalms :  their  separation  is 
not  always  certain  even  in  the  case  of  refrains  (e.  g.  Ps.  xlii.  xliii.) 
the  number  of  the  verses  does  not  correspond,  while  their  length 
varies.  We  can  only  assume  then  a  tune  running  on,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  said  Greek  songs,  and  if  so,  that  amounts  to  cantilla- 
tion.  For  the  same  reason  the  singing  of  psalms  in  the  ancient 
Christian  Church  cannot  have  been  our  choral  song.  (v.  p.  2.) 
The  prominent  position  of  the  precentor  in  the  synagogue  and 
the  ancient  Church  seems  to  agree  with  this  view.  The  design 
of  some  Psalms,  (e  .g.  Psalms  xxi.  cxviii.)  unmistakeably  points  to 
solo  performance.  Others  present  exceptions.  Logical  strophes 
of  an  equal  number  of  verses  occur  in  Psalms  i.  ii.  xii.  xxiv.  xli. 
cxiv.  cxxviii.  etc.  But  was  the  repetition  of  the  same  tune  con- 
fined to  these  ?  According  to  the  titles  of  Psalms  Ivii. — lix.  etc* 
several  psalms  differing  in  matter  were  sung  to  the  same  tune 
(perhaps  the  same  manner);  may  not  this,  again,  point  to  cantilla- 
tion? 


SECTION  III. 

THE  AUTHORS  OF  THE  PSALMS. 

THE  history  and  place  of  David  in  the  kingdom  of  God  accord 
to  him  our  chief  interest.  We  have  more  psalms  from  him  than 
from  any  one  else.  There  are  seventy-four  psalms  headed  by  his 
name — a  small  number,  if  compared  with  the  one  thousand  and 
five  songs  of  Solomon.  It  must  be  assumed  for  certain,  that  we 
have  only  a  selection,  as  appears  from  the  two  psalms  which, 
though  recorded  in  the  books  of  Samuel,  find  no  place  in  the 
Psalter.  We  introduce  our  remarks  on  David  in  the  words  of 
Sirach:  "In  all  his  works  he  praised  the  holy  one  Most  High, 
with  words  of  glory,  with  his  whole  heart  he  sung  songs,  and 

*  Vide  Buxtorf,  Synagoga  Judaica,  p.  205.  Lane,  vol.  ii.  p.  197.  Wolf, 
etc.  This  lengthened  note  of  the  mass  was  called  Neuma,  i.  e.  Pneuma ;  it 
was  afterwards  based  on  texts,  which,  because  they  followed  the  Hallelu- 
jah, were  termed  "Sequences." 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

loved  him  that  made  him.  He  set  singers  also  before  the  altar, 
that  by  their  voices  they  might  make  sweet  melody,  and  daily 
sing  praises  in  their  songs.  He  beautified  their  feasts,  and  set  in 
order  the  solemn  times,  until  the  end,  that  they  might  praise  his 
holy  name,  and  that  the  temple  might  sound  from  morning.  The 
Lord  took  away  his  sins  and  exalted  his  horn  for  ever;  he  gave 
him  a  covenant  of  kings  and  a  throne  of  glory  in  Israel."  (Sir. 
xlvii.  9— 13.) 

From  comparing  1  Sam.  xvi.  17 — 19,  with  chap.  xvii.  13, 14. 28, 
it  appears  that  his  hand  was  wont  to  strike  the  harp,  when  it  was 
thought  too  weak  for  combat  and  war :  he  was  feeding  his  father's 
sheep,  while  his  elder  brothers  went  out  into  the  field.  We  have 
reason  to  think,  that  even  at  so  tender  an  age  he  did  not  confine 
himself  to  accompanying  the  harp  with  the  songs  of  others,  but 
that  the  praise  of  God  was  the  favourite  theme  of  his  own  com- 
positions. How  great  a  testimony  to  the  power  and  humility  of 
his  faith  is  furnished  in  the  words  of  glorious  renown,  which  the 
heroic  youth  addressed  to  the  Philistine :  "  Thou  comest  to  me 
with  a  sword,  with  a  spear,  and  with  a  shield;  but  I  come  to  thee 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of 
Israel,  whom  thou  hast  defied.  This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver 
thee  into  mine  hand ;  that  all  the  earth  may  know  that  there  is  a 
God  in  Israel.  And  all  this  assembly  shall  know  that  the  Lord 
saveth  not  with  sword  and  spear;  for  the  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and 
he  will  give  you  into  our  hands."  (1  Sam.  xvii.  45 — 47.)  Who 
can  forbear  to  recognize  in  these  words  the  humble  power  of  faith, 
which  resounds  to  us  afterwards  in  the  song  of  the  aged  man 
(Ps.  xviii.  xxx.  xxxi.)?  "For  by  thee  I  have  run  through  a 
troop:  and  by  my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall."  "  For  who  is 
a  God,  save  the  Lord?  or  who  is  a  rock,  save  our  God?"  His 
playing  of  the  harp  was  able  to  overcome  the  gloomy  mind  of  Saul, 
because  the  Spirit  of  God  influenced  his  playing  and  songs. 
Taken  to  the  king's  court,  he  forgot  not  his  art.  He  practised  it 
daily  (1  Sam.  xviii.  10,)  and  doubtless  derived  from  it  comfort  in 
many  a  sad  hour,  for  his  chequered  path  began  there.  The  king 
gave  him  his  affection,  and  it  is  said  of  the  royal  prince,  that  "  he 
loved  him  as  his  own  soul."  (1  Sam.  xviii.  1.)  But  suspicion 
was  lurking  in  the  already  darksome  mind  of  Saul,  when  the 
people  praised  the  shepherd  youth's  valour  above  his  own,  (1  Sam. 
xviii.  7,)  and  during  an  attack  of  melancholic  passion  he  cast  a 
javelin  at  the  harmless  singer.  Saul  regaining  strength,  and 
shrinking  from  a  personal  attack,  appointed  David  to  the  post  of  a 
captain  over  a  thousand,  actuated  by  the  same  treacherous  motive 
which  David  himself  afterwards  entertained  against  Uriah,  viz. 
that  the  foe  might  kill  him  in  the  battle.  (1  Sam.  xviii.  25.) 
David  married  the  king's  daughter;  their  union,  contrary  to 
Eastern  habit,  was  not  entered  upon  by  external  necessity,  but  by 


24  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  bonds  of  love.  (1  Sam.  xviii.  20.)     The  hand  of  the  Lor 
protected  David  in  his  campaigns :    Saul  fell  so  greatly,  that  h 
actually  asked  Jonathan  and  his  servants  to  assassinate  David 
overcome  by  Jonathan's  reasonings  he  yielded  for  a  time  to  fee? 
ings  of  penitence;  (1  Sam.  xix.  6;)  but  David's  fresh  victorie 
rekindled  his  displeasure.     He  cast  another  javelin  at  him,  whicl 
again  entered  the  wall.  He  sent  murderers  after  him — but  Michael' 
love  and  cleverness  made  a  way  for  escape.     It  is  natural  that  th 
courtiers  of  such  a  monarch  should  resemble  him.     The  words  o: 
David,  (in  1  Sam.  xxiv.  10 ;  xxvi.  19 ;  Ps.  vii.*)  and  the  conduc 
of  Doeg,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  9.  13,)  show  that  they  fanned  the  flame  o: 
suspicion,  and  accused  the  harmless  young  man  of  secret  desigm 
against  the  life  and  crown  of  the  king.     The  expectation  of  thi 
king's  favour  or  of  gain  may  have  prompted  them  to  falsehood; 
but  there  was  yet  another  motive  which  came  powerfully  into 
play.     Such  was  the  jealousy  of  the  tribe  of  the  Benjaminites,  to! 
whom  Saul  belonged,  against  the  youth  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,! 
whose  ascension  to  the  throne  they  feared  might  result  in  their! 
being  obliged  to  yield  place  to  others.      All  the  courtiers  of  Saul 
were  Benjaminites;  (1  Sam.  xxii.  7;)  so  was  Gush  (Ps.  vii.)  and 
mocking  Shimei.  (2  Sam.  xvi.)f     Finally,  we  must  not  overlook 
that  their  enmity  found  ample  fuel  in  the  piety  of  David,  for  there 
were  but  few  that  could  rightly  appreciate  it,  and  many  who  felt 
reproved   by  its  exhibition.     Obliged  to  flee  from  the  court,  he 
hastened  to  the  school  of  the  prophets  on  the  plains  (Najoth)  near 
Ramah,  between  whom  and  himself  there  existed  already  spiritual 
sympathies.     A  brief  interval  of  some  kind  of  understanding  with 
Saul  seems  then  to  have  followed,  since  David  was  expected  to 
take  his  place  at  the  king's  table.  (1  Sam.  xx.  25.)     He  knew, 
however,  how  little  reliance  was  to  be  reposed  in  the  changeable 
king,  and  Jonathan  confirmed  his  first  fears.     Then  commenced 
those  days  of  exile,  of  which  he  sings  in  Psalm  Ivi.  9.     "Thou 
tellest  my  wanderings ;    put  thou  my  tears  into  thy  bottle.     Are 
they  not  in  thy  book  ?"  J     His  next  place  of  refuge  was  Nob,  close 

*  Introd.  to  Psalm  vii. 

f  Cf.  Introd.  to  Psalms  v.  and  Ixxviii. 

J  At  the  close  of  the  narrative  of  the  meeting  of  Jonathan  and  David, 
before  his  departure,  we  read,  (1  Sam.  xx.  42,)  »<And  he  arose  and 
departed;  and  Jonathan  went  into  the  city."  Which  city?  Gibea,  close 
to  Ramah,  the  place  of  Saul's  nativity,  seems  to  have  been  his  usual 
residence.  (1  Sam.  x.  26;  xi.  4;  xv.  34;  xxiii.  19;  xxvi.  1.)  But  it  is 
said  (1  Sam.  xvii.  54,)  that  David  took  the  head  of  Goliath  to  Jerusalem, 
and  from  the  immediate  sequel  one  feels  inclined  to  infer  that  Saul 
occasionally  resided  there.  Once  for  all  observe,  that  the  idea  of  great 
distances  respecting  the  places  of  Judea,  referred  to  in  David's  history, 
should  be  abandoned.  Gibea  and  Bethlehem  were  about  four  miles — 
Gibeon,  the  place  of  the  tabernacle,  (which  according  to  Movers  on  the 
books  of  Chron.  p.  293,  etc.,  is  identical  with  Gibea,)  about  seven  miles— 


INTRODUCTION.  '25 

to  Jerusalem,  (vide  ad.  Ps.  lix,)  where  the  tabernacle  was  at  that 
time;  he  there  went  to  Ahiinelech,  the  high  priest,  the  descendant 
of  Eli.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  11;  xiv.  3.)  The  close  intimacy  of  the 
youthful  David  with  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  and  his  warm 
friendship  with  the  high  priest,  furnish  a  striking  testimony  to  his 
great  attachment  for  the  sanctuary  and  its  officers.  "  Who  is/' 
said  Ahimelech  to  the  king,  "so  faithful  among  all  thy  servants 
as  David,  which  is  the  king's  son-in-law,  and  goeth  at  thy  bidding, 
and  is  honourable  in  thine  house?  Did  I  then  (to-day)  begin  to 
inquire  of  God  for  him?"  After  Doeg  hud  slain  that  man, 
David  immediately  took  his  son  under  his  protection.  (1  Sam. 
xxii.  23.)  He  next  thinks  of  a  place  of  refuge  out  of  his  native 
country,  remote  from  the  power  of  Saul.  He  resorted  accordingly 
to  Gath  of  the  Philistines;  but  recognized  and  led  before  Achish, 
it  was  only  by  a  stratagem  that  he  was  able  to  escape  the  ven- 
geance of  that  king.  (Vide  ad.  Ps.  Ivi.)  On  returning  into  Saul's 
kingdom,  he  first  looked  for  an  asylum  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  then 
removed  to  the  more  distant  regions  of  the  Dead  Sea  to  Kejilah, 
near  Hebron,  and  then  still  further  towards  the  South  to  the  most 
inaccessible  mountain  heights  along  the  borders  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
into  the  wilderness  of  Ziph,  of  Mahon,  and  Engedi — into  mouiv 
tain  passes  which  are  expressly  called  "the  rocks  of  the  wild 
goats/'  (1  Sam.  xxiv.  3,)  at  an  altitude  of  fifteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  (  Vide  ad.  Ps.  Ivii.)  The  southernmost 
point  is  the  wilderness  of  Pharan.  On  his  retreat  he  had,  how- 
ever, not  remained  alone.  Four  hundred  and  soon  six  hundred 
men,  ruined  in  their  affairs,  and  hoping  to  better  their  condition 
through  David,*  had  joined  him.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  2f  xxiii.  13.) 
Nothing,  however,  was  more  remote  from  his  thoughts  than  to 
lead  them  in  rebellion  against  whom  he  knew  to  be  "  the  anointed 
of  the  Lord;"  he  only  employed  them  in  skirmishes  against 
foreign  tribes.  Saul,  who  was  twice  delivered  into  his  hands,  he 
twice  treated  with  a  generosity  that  touched  his  fierce  persecutor 
and  caused  him  to  exclaim,  "  Thou  art  more  righteous  than  I; 
for  thou  hast  rewarded  me  good,  whereas  I  have  rewarded  thee 

Ramah  nine  miles — Jericho  twenty-four  miles — the  Dead  Sea  (which  is, 
however,  sixty- six  miles  in  length)  about  thirty-six  miles  from  Jerusalem. 
The  greatest  extent  of  the  whole  country  did  not  exceed  the  distance  from 
Berlin  to  Halle,  t.  e.  from  Sidon  to  Sodom  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
miles,  the  greatest  breadth  from  Rabbath  Ammon  to  Joppa  eighty-four 
miles.  And  yet  according  to  2  Samuel  xxiv.  the  population  of  the 
country  amounted,  in  the  reign  of  David,  to  1,300,000  valiant  men  that 
drew  the  sword ;  hence  since  the  total  population  of  a  country  generally 
equals  four  times  the  number  of  adult  males — to  about  five  millions. 
Still  more  diminutive  appears  the  size  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah — one  day's 
journey  on  foot — i.  e.  sixty  miles  in  length,  and  forty-two  in  breadth. 

*  Many  of  them  probably  entertained  views  of  David's  future  similar  to 
those  of  Abigail.     (1  Sam.  xxv.  28-30.) 

3 


26  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

evil.  And  thou  hast  showed  this  day,  how  thou  hast  dealt  well  with 
me ;  forasmuch  as  when  the  Lord  had  delivered  me  into  thine 
hand,  thou  killedst  me  not.  For  if  a  man  find  his  enemy,  will  he 
let  him  go  well  away?  Wherefore  the  Lord  reward  thee  good 
for  that  thou  hast  done  unto  me  this  day.  And  now,  behold,  I 
know  well  that  thou  shalt  surely  be  king,  and  that  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  shall  be  established  in  thine  hand.  Swear  now,  therefore, 
unto  me  by  the  Lord,  that  thou  wilt  not  cut  off  my  seed  after  me, 
and  that  thou  wilt  not  destroy  my  name  out  of  my  father's  house." 
(1  Sam.  xxiv.  17 — 21.)  David's  words  on  this  occasion,  and  on 
his  second  encounter  with  Saul  (chap,  xxvi.)  should  be  well 
noticed ;  they  exhibit  so  distinct  an  agreement  between  the  mind 
of  David  and  the  sentiments  which  pervade  many  of  his  psalms, 
that  their  very  expression  bears  a  strong  resemblance.  (  Vide  ad. 
Psalms  xi.  and  xvi.)  "  The  Lord  judge'  between  me  and  thee, 
and  the  Lord  avenge  me  of  thee;  but  mine  hand  shall  not  be  upon 
thee."  "As  the  Lord  livcth,  the  Lord  shall  smite  him;  or  his 
day  shall  come  to  die,  or  he  shall  descend  into  battle  and  perish. 
The  Lord  forbid  that  I  should  stretch  forth  mine  hand  against  the 
Lord's  anointed."  "If  the  Lord  have  stirred  thee  up  against  me, 
let  him  accept  an  offering;  but  if  they  be  the  children  of  men, 
cursed  be  they  before  the  Lord;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this 
day  from  abiding  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Go,  serve 
other  gods."  "And,  behold,  as  thy  life  was  much  set  by  this  day 
in  mine  eyes,  so  let  my  life  be  much  set  by  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord,  and  let  him  deliver  me  out  of  all  tribulation." 

The  continuous  reference  in  the  Psalms  to  multitudes  of 
enemies,  to  fraud,  deceit,  and  persecution,  to  desire  of  revenge 
and  thirst  for  blood,  to  David's  repeatedly  calling  himself  one 
innocently  persecuted,  to  his  escape  into  the  mountains,  to  the 
abandonment  of  all  earthly  hopes,  to  persecutors  set  upon  him  like 
wild  beasts;  (Psalms  xxii.  Ivii.  v.  etc.)  all  these  produce  but  poor 
impressions  on  such  minds,  who  only  listen  to  the  voice  of  the 
poet,  and  perceive  in  them  poetic  forms  only.  We  should  bring 
the  history  of  David  to  them,  to  perceive  that  such  passages 
express  the  much-stirred  life  of  a  much-tried  man.  Although  the 
historic  basis  for  the  understanding  of  the  Psalms,  furnished 
in  the  books  of  Samuel,  could  be  desired  more  extensive,  it  is 
nevertheless  sufficient  for  enabling  us  to  recognize  the  funda- 
mental traits  of  the  events  and  conditions  of  mind,  to  which  allu- 
sion is  made  in  the  Psalms. 

^  Even  the  generous  conduct  of  David  had  not  yet  cured  Saul  of 
his  suspicion;  the  former  preferred,  tired  of  his  long  wanderings 
on  mountains  and  plains,  once  more  to  try  his  fortune  with  the 
Philistines.  ;  No  longer  alone,  but  heading  six  hundred  warriors, 
and  a  heroic  fame  for  his  precursor,  he  might  expect  a  good 
reception  with  Achish,  on  offering  his  services  to  him.  He  met 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

one,  and  engaged  in  expeditions  against  the  Amalekites  and  other 
nations,  continued  there  until  at  last  his  loyalty  was  put  to  a  severe 
test,  when  the  Philistines  made  preparations  for  war  against  Saul. 
He  manifested  on  that  occasion  the  same  sagacity  of  which  he 
had  furnished  the  evidence  in  other  junctures.  Foreseeing  the 
result,  he  responded  in  undivided  terms  to  the  call  of  Achish: 
(1  Sam.  xxviii.  2 :)  he  next  joined,  accompanied  by  his  people, 
the  van  of  the  army,  and  found  his  anticipations  realized.  The 
misgivings  of  the  Philistine  captains  as  to  the  propriety  of  permit- 
ting this  Hebrew  to  march  against  his  countrymen,  effected  his 
being  sent  back.  (1  Sam.  xxix.)  His  wanderings  had  now 
reached  their  termination.  After  Saul  was  killed  in  that  battle, 
the  tribe  of  Judah  chose  David  for  their  king.  It  had  been  a 
time  of  much-tried  waiting,  covering  not  less  than  ten  years. 
David  had  stood  the  test  with  persevering  faith.  How  noble  the 
generosity  which,  after  the  death  of  Saul,  caused  him  to  rear  a 
standing  memorial  to  his  valour  in  his  song,  "Of  the  bow/'  where 
he  sings :  "  Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their 
lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided  :  they  were  swifter 
than  eagles,  they  were  stronger  than  lions.  Ye  mountains  of 
Gilboa,  let  there  be  no  dew,  neither  let  there  be  rain  upon  you,  nor 
fields  of  offerings  :  for  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  is  vilely  cast 
away,  the  shield  of  Saul,  as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed  with 
oil."  How  warmly  flows  the  expression  of  his  gratitude  to  those 
who  had  buried  Saul.  (2  Sam.  ii.  5,  6.)  As  he  had  sworn  to  Saul 
at  their  meeting,  (1  Sam.  xxiv.  22,)  he  showed  kindness  to  his 
descendants:  (2  Sam.  iv.  5 — 12,  and  ix.  3,  etc.)  though  afterwards, 
to  perform  an  imagined  piece  of  necessary  justice,  he  suffered  him- 
self to  be  misguided  to  deliver  seven  of  Saul's  sons  into  the  hands 
of  the  Gibeonites.  (2  Sam.  xxi.) 

How  touchingly  he  expresses  (Psalm  xviii.)  the  deep  gratitude 
that  filled  his  heart  after  he  had  overcome  his  time  of  trial,  when 
he  forcibly  describes  how  the  hand  of  God  had  visibly  been 
stretched  out  from  heaven,  and  drawn  him  out  of  great  waters. 

He  did  not  at  once  obtain  the  government  of  the  entire  nation : 
his  own  tribe  (Judah)  alone  acknowledged  him,  (which  in  num- 
bers, however,  nearly  equalled  the  rest,*)  and  he  ruled  it  at  Hebron 
for  seven  years  and  a  half,  while  the  other  eleven  tribes  remained 
under  the  descendants  of  Saul.  After  that  period  they,  too,  ren- 
dered him  homage.  One  of  his  first  acts  was  the  arrangement  of 
the  priestly  worship,  and  the  removal  of  the  ark  to  Zion.  In 

*  Cf.  the  data  of  the  census,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  9,  from  which,  however,  the 
Chronicles  and  Josephus  deviate  a  little.  The  numbor  of  the  tribe  of  Judah 
is,  indeed,  disproportionately  great,  especially  as  we  find  (1  Kings  xii.  21,) 
the  army  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  limited  to  one  hundred 
and  eighty  thousand  men.  According  to  Numb.  i.  27,  the  tribe  of  Judah 
was  stronger  than  all  the  rest. 


28  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

victorious  campaigns  he  then  successively  humbled  the  Philistines, 
the  Edomites,  the  Moabites,  the  Ammonites,  and  the  Syrians,  and 
extended  the  frontiers  of  his  kingdom  to  the  Euphrates.  His  fame 
spread  to  distant  regions.  (2  Sam.  viii.  9;  v.  11.)  The  sceptre  of 
his  kingdom  was  confirmed  to  his  race  for  eternal  times.  (2  Sam. 
vii.  13.)  An  event  occurred,  however,  which  deeply  affected  the 
honoured  and  aged  king,  and  reminded  him  of  his  former  days  of 
tribulation. 

Absalom's  ambition  gave  rise  to  revolt,  and  once  more  drove  him 
from  the  capital  towards  the  region  of  that  wilderness,  where  he 
had  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  days  when  he  fled  from  Saul. 
(  Vide  ad.  Psalms  iii.  Iv.  Ixiii.)  He  had  even  to  quit  the  bounda- 
ries of  Canaan,  and  go  beyond  Jordan.  Of  less  importance  was 
the  insurrection  of  the  Benjaminite,  Sheba,  (vide  ad.  Ps.  Ixxviii.) 
and  the  projected  rebellion  of  Adonijah.  In  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  life,  after  a  reign  of  forty  years  and  six  months,  David  died, 
and  was  buried  at  Jerusalem.  His  noble  principles  of  government 
are  expressed  in  Psalm  ci.:  one  of  his  subjects  furnishes  the  fol- 
lowing testimonial,  in  Psalm  Ixxviii.  70 — 72:  "God  chose  David 
also  his  servant,  and  took  him  from  the  sheepfoids;  from  following 
the  ewes  great  with  young  he  brought  him  to  feed  Jacob  his  people, 
and  Israel  his  inheritance.  So  he  fed  them  according  to  the  inte- 
grity of  his  heart,  and  guided  them  by  the  skilfulness  of  his  hands/' 
As  with  a  mother's  faithfulness  he  tended  the  nursing  lambs  when 
he  was  their  shepherd,  so  he  transferred  that  faithfulness  to  his 
people  when  he  became  their  shepherd. 

This  is  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  history  of  David.  The  different 
Psalms  may  be  referred,  if  not  with  certainty,  yet  with  more  or  less 
of  probability,  to  the  different  periods  of  his  life.  The  fact  that 
most  of  them  were  composed  in  days  of  tribulation,  during  the 
time  of  his  residence  at  the  court  of  Saul,  (Psalms  v.  xli.  lix.  Ixix. 
cxl.)  the  time  of  his  flight  before  Saul  (Psalms  iii.  iv.  vi.  vii.  xi. 
xiii.  xxii.  xxxiv.  Hi.  Ivi.  Ivii.  cxlii.)  and  Absalom,  (Psalms  iii.  xxvii. 
Iv.  Ixiii.)  should  not  surprise  us,  since  the  harp  was  just  in  seasons 
of  that  kind  the  comfort  of  the  pious  minstrel. 

A  great  number  of  our  own  hymns  were  composed  in  the  gloomy 
days  of  the  thirty  years'  war.  The  use  of  David's  plaintive  songs 
at  worship  caused  him  constantly  to  renew  and  multiply  the  praises 
of  God  for  his  aid  and  deliverance,  an  exercise  from  which  he 
doubtless  derived  much  benefit.  As  to  the  remainder  of  his 
Psalms,  some  were  composed  for  special  use  at  certain  public  festi- 
vals, (Psalms  xv.  xxiv.  xx.  xxi.  Ixviii.  cxxii.;)  others  were  occa- 
sioned by  incidents  of  war,  (Psalms  ix.  x.  lx.;)  some  are  didactic, 
(Psalm  xxxvii.)  others  psalms  of  nature,  (Psalms  viii.  xix.  xxix.;) 
some  psalms  of  praise,  (Psalms  xvi.  xviii.  xxiii.  xxx.  cxxxviii.) 
others  penitential,  (Psalms  xxxii.  li.;)  Psalms  ii.  and  x.  are  Mes- 
sianic. 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

Glancing  at  the  religious-moral  character  of  David,  and  then  at 
the  character  of  his  Psalms,  we  recognize  courage  and  warmth  of 
heart  as  its  most  prominent  features.  The  boy  who  slew  a  lion 
and  a  bear,  slung  the  stone  with  so  much  assurance  at  the  face  of 
gigantic  Goliath,  that  he  fell  to  the  earth.  But  the  tender  youth — 
ruddy  and  of  a  fair  countenance,  (1  Sam.  xvii.  42) — shows  himself 
equally  susceptible  to  tender  emotions.  His  heart  lacked  no  sus- 
ceptibility for  any  kind  of  love :  his  union  to  Michal  was,  as  has 
been  already  noticed,  not  the  result  of  convenience,  but  of  genuine 
affection.  (1  Sam.  xviii.  20.)  Jonathan,  his  friend,  loved  him 
"as  his  own  soul."  Filial  piety  was  so  sacred  to  him,  that  in  his 
greatest  troubles,  he  never  forgot  a  child's  duties,  but  cared  for  his 
father  and  mother.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  3.)  His  paternal  tenderness 
towards  his  children  almost  knew  no  limits.  (2  Sam.  xviii.  33; 
xii.  18.)  We  have  already  noticed  his  loyalty  to  his  king  in  spite 
of  all  persecution.  How  soon  his  royal  indignation  could  kindle 
when  it  regarded  the  administration  of  justice  towards  his  subjects, 
appears  from  2  Sam.  xii.  5.  The  tender  relations  subsisting  between 
him  and  the  people  of  Jerusalem  reveals  touchingly  the  scene  of 
his  flight  before  Absalom :  "And  all  the  country  wept  with  a  loud 
voice,  and  all  the  people  passed  over."  (2  Sam.  xv.  23.)  The 
noble  general  is  seen  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.  17.  His  faithfulness  of 
promise  was  infallible ;  the  words  in  which  he  mourned  the  violent 
death  of  honest  Abner  breathe  simultaneously  love  and  indignation. 
(Cf.  ad.  Psalm  Iviii.)  His  anger  for  the  murder  of  Ishbosheth, 
committed  against  his  promise  to  the  contrary,  could  hardly  be  kept 
within  bounds.  (2  Sam.  iv.  12.)  He  was  soon  angry,  but  gave 
grateful  hearing  to  calming  speech.  (1  Sam.  xxv.  25 — 35.)^:  But 
the  root  of  all  his  virtues  was  "the  fear  of  God"  In  every  situa- 
tion of  life,  he  looked  up  to  the  Lord,  (with  this  correspond  the 
words  which  history  furnishes  concerning  him.)  The  boy  who 
with  his  sling  faced  the  Philistine  expected  the  power  of  victory 
from  the  Lord.  (1  Sam.  xvii.  45.)  He  thanked  the  Lord,  when 
his  persecutor  was  delivered  into  his  hand,  and  to  the  Lord  he 
prays  for  strength,  that  he  might  not  sin  against  him.  (1  Sam. 
xxiv.  7.)  He  deemed  it  as  a  mercy  of  the  Lord  that  Abigail's 
admonition  preserved  him  for  sinning,  (1  Sam.  xxv.  32,  33;)  he 
besought  the  Lord  for  counsel  in  his  martial  enterprises,  (1  Sam. 
xxiii.  2;  2  Sam.  v.  19,  23;)  he  humbly  acknowledged  the  will  of 
the  Lord  when  he  lost  the  throne,  and  had  to  bear  the  contempt  of 
rebellious  subjects,  (2  Sam.  xv.  25;  xvi.  11,  12;)  he  praised  the 
Lord  with  deep  gratitude  and  humility  when  he  received  the 
glorious  promises  of  the  future  of  his  race,  (2  Sam.  vii.  18,  etc.]) 
when  the  exultation  in  which  he  burst  forth,  singing  and  dancing 
before  the  ark  of  the  Lord,  was  met  with  derision,  he  said  to 
Michal,  "It  was  before  the  Lord,  which  chose  me  before  thy 
father,  and  before  all  his  house,  to  appoint  me  ruler  over  the 
3* 


30  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

people  of  the  Lord,  over  Israel :  therefore  will  I  play  before  the 
Lord.  And  I  will  yet  be  more  vile  than  thus,  and  will  be  base  in 
mine  own  sight."  (2  Sam.  vi.  21,  22.)  The  loftiness  of  such 
expressions  of  his  piety  in  word  and  deed,  would  seem  to  render 
the  offence  of  his  adultery  with  Bathsheba,  and  his  sin  against 
Uriah,  the  more  enormous.  While  it  is  habitual  with  legally 
righteous  Pharisees  and  the  servants  of  sin,  who  just  understand 
the  clever  avoidance  of  appearances,  to  heap  the  rudest  reproach 
on  David  for  those  transgressions,  and  acclaim  the  right  of  rising 
far  above  him,  it  is,  especially  for  practical  ministers,  matter  of 
indispensable  necessity  to  regard  that  event  in  its  true  nature. 
Now  if  on  the  one  hand  it  be  apparent  that  David  by  no  means 
rushed  without  all  thought  headlong  to  the  commission  of  his 
double  crime,  but  that  sin  also  in  his  case  gradually  lured  the  weak 
into  her  net,  and  that  on  the  other  if  anywhere  in  this  case  the 
de'pth  of  repentance  seems  to  have  equalled  the  greatness  of  the 
crime,  we  may  well  ask,  Who  dares  to  throw  the  first  stone  on  the 
fallen  one?  See  also  Comment,  to  Psalm  li. 

We  shall  now  endeavour  to  apprehend  the  peculiar  features  of 
the  Davidic  compositions  in  relation  to  the  psalms  of  other  authors. 
One  difference  is  strikingly  apparent.  A  certain  child-like  warmth 
and  simplicity  seems  peculiar  to  the  Psalms  of  David.  (Psalms  xi. 
xvi.  xxiii.  xxvii.  Ixi.  cxxxi.  and  cxxxiii.)  If  we  are  anxious  to  gain 
the  impression  of  a  heart  peaceful  and  happy  in  God,  we  have  only 
to  read  his'psalms.  The  same  expressions  of  that  peculiar  child-like 
familiarity  with  God,  and  silent  resignation,  occur  also  in  some  of 
his  sentiments  in  the  historic  books.  As  such  we  count  his  already 
named  reply  to  the  mockery  of  his  wife  Michal,  the  expression  of 
his  gratitude  for  Abigail's  dehjortation  from  vengeance  against 
Nabal,  the  words  of  resignation  on  his  being  compelled  to  leave 
Jerusalem  for  fear  of  Absalom,  etc.  (2  Sam.  xv.  25,  26.)  On  the 
other  hand  his  Psalms  portray  the  energy  and  courage  of  the  youth 
who  slew  Goliath,  and  of  the  man  who  became  the  terror  of  sur- 
rounding nations,  wielded  the  sceptre  of  the  kingdom  with  a  firm 
hand,  and  irrevocably  punished  oppression.  (Psalms  xviii.  Ix.  ci. 
Hi.  Iviii.)  We  are  now-a-days  wont  to  conceive  of  a  hero  as 
endowed  with  a  stoical  mastery  of  his  affections,  and  chiefly  of  his 
grief.  In  the  heroes  of  antiquity,  however,  weeping  and  tears 
Were  deemed  no  disgrace.  History  records  the  violent  outbreak  of 
David's  grief  as  most  overwhelming  on  receiving  the  news  of 
Absalom's  death.  (2  Sam.  xviii.  33.)  Regarding  the  Psalter  as 
reflecting  the  inward  history  of  the  man,  which  accompanied  out- 
ward acts,  we  may  perceive  how  deeply  all  his  experiences  entered 
into  his  heart.  The  Psalms  make  us  to  look  down  into  the  abysses 
of  grief  and  despair.  It  is  truly  elevating  to  observe  how,  while 
praying  and  singing,  his  soul  mounts  sometimes  as  it  were  on  the 
steps  of  a  ladder,  from  verse  to  verse,  to  joyous  exultation,  and  the 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

psalm  which  was  begun  in  a  tone  of  deepest  complaint,  ends  with 
triumphant  song.  This  is  most  distinctly  and  remarkably  indi- 
cated in  Psalm  xxii.  Sometimes  the  voice  of  exultation  will  burst 
through  the  anguish  of  the  prayer,  as  in  Psalm  vi.  9;  xxviii.  6: 
he  perceives  inward  communications  from  God,  which  tear  (Psalms 
xii.  6;  xiv.  4;  xxxii.  8;  xxvii.  8)  him  as  it  were  at  once  from  out 
of  the  deepest  tribulation.  Some  psalms  of  grief  and  hesitancy, 
beginning  with  an  "In  the  Lord  do  I  put  my  trust/'  (Psalms  xi.  1; 
xxv.  2;  xxvi.  2,)  shine  like  beacons.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the  Psalms 
of  David  possess  not  the  plenitude  of  poetic  imagination,  though 
that  exists  in  some.  Exceedingly  beautiful  and  grand  is  the 
execution  of  the  image  at  the  beginning  of  Psalm  xviii.  which 
contrasts  the  days  of  his  affliction  with  those  of  his  prosperity. 
Psalms  xxix.  ex.  and  cxxxix.  are  sublime. 

Since  we  find  that  poetry,  music,  and  song  were  more  frequently 
united  in  one  person  in  remote  antiquity  than  in  later  times,  when 
those  activities  became  more  separate,  there  arises  spontaneously 
the  supposition,  that  the  individuals  whom  David  appointed  as 
chief  musicians  and  leaders  of  the  Levites,  as  they  combined  music 
and  song,  were  also  versed  in  poetry.  (The  three  leaders,  Asaph, 
Heman,  and  Jeduthun,  were,  according  to  Chronicles,  both  chief 
musicians  and  chief  singers.)  The  example  of  David  must  have 
exerted  a  great  influence.  It  appears  from  Amos  vi.  5,  that  the 
nobility  used  to  frame  secular  songs  on  the  model  of  David's  com- 
positions. How  much  more  may  the  spiritual  songs  of  David 
have  served  as  models !  How  exact  an  imitation  of  David  is  the 
Psalm  in  Hab.  iii.  Asaph,  Heinan,  and  perhaps  Jeduthun,  are 
mentioned  as  seers,  while  Ethan  and  Heman,  who,  according  to 
Chronicles  and  the  titles  of  Psalms  Ixxxviii.  Ixxxix.  were  Levitic 
singers,  are  accounted  among  the  wisest  of  men,  (1  Kings  iv.  31 ; 
[v.  11.])  The  titles  ascribe  twelve  psalms  to.  Asaph,  (Psalm  1. 
73 — 83,)  eleven  to  the  children  of  Korah.  Some  psalms,  how- 
ever, cannot  have  had  Asaph,  the  cotemporary  of  David,  for  their 
author  (e.  g.  Psalms  Ixxiv.  Ixxvii.  Ixxix.  Ixxx.,)  as  they  unmis- 
takeably  refer  to  the  last  times  of  the  Jewish  empire :  the  same  is 
the  case  with  the  psalm  of  Ethan,  (Psalm  Ixxxix.)  It  may  be 
concluded,  that  the  psalms  of  Asaph  were  by  no  means  designated 
by  his  name  without  sufficient  reasons  for  it,  because,  in  some 
respects,  they  really  bear  strong  marks  of  resemblance.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  the  name,  "Asaph,"  stands  for  the  entire  family 
of  singers  of  Asaph's  children,  so  that  no  particular  regard  was 
paid  to  the  poetic  productions  of  their  separate  authors.  So  the 
Korahite  psalms  are  ascribed  to  that  family  as  a  whole.  As  the 
names  of  Jacob,  Joseph,  and  Ephraim  are  used  to  designate  their 
entire  races,  why  might  not  the  same  apply  to  the  name  of  Asaph? 
Most  parties,  at  least,  are  now  agreed  that  Jeduthun,  in  Psalms 
xxxix.  and  Ixxvii.  refers  to  the  Jeduthun  family  of  singers.  The 


32  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

race  of  Asaph  reaches  down  to  the  latest  times:  2  Chron.  xx.  14, 
Jehasiel,  a  Levite  of  the  children  of  Asaph,  is  named  as  a  prophet 
in  the  days  of  Jehosaphat,  who  is  probably  to  be  regarded  as  the 
author  of  Psalm  Ixxxiii.  (Of.  ad.  Psalm  Ixxxiii.)  Descendants  of 
Asaph  returned  from  the  exile,  according  to  Neh.  yii.  47,  not  less 
than  one  hundred  and  forty-eight,  according  to  Ezra  ii.  41,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  singers;  and  since,  according  to  Nehemiah 
vii.  47,  the  number  of  male  and  female  singers  who  returned  was 
two  hundred  and  forty-five,  it  is  evident  that  the  greater  number 
were  Asaphites :  though  Jeduthunite  singers  are  mentioned  as  well. 
(Neh.  xi.  17.)  Excellent,  as  to  form  and  contents,  are  the  didac- 
x  tic  poems  of  Asaph,  (Psalms  1.  and  Ixxiii.)  The  other  psalms  of 
Asaph  are  distinguished  by  a  certain  vivacity  and  freshness.  (On 
the  psalm  of  Ethan,  vide  Psalm  Ixxxix.  Com.)  The  psalms  of 
the  children  of  Korah  stand  highest  for  poetic  symmetry,  elevation, 
vivacity,  and  warmth  of  sentiment,  (Psalms  xlii. — xlix.  Ixxxiv. 
Ixxxv.  Ixxxvii.  Ixxxviii.)  Some  of  these  psalms  were  composed 
by  Levites  in  the  times  of  David,  e.  g.  Psalms  xlii.  xliii.  xlvii. 
Ixxxiv. ;  others,  however,  refer  to  the  days  of  Hezekiah  and  the 
invasion  of  Sennacherib.  (Psalms  xlvi.  xlviii.  Ixxxvii.)  The  Ko- 
rahite  songs,  as  well  as  the  Asaphite,  bear  a  certain  peculiarity, 
which  shows  that  the  singers  of  certain  families  educated  them- 
selves after  the  model  of  their  predecessors.  Psalm  Ixxxviii.  alone, 
besides  the  general  designation,  bears  also  the  name  of  Heman. 
(Cf.  ad.  Psalm  Ixxxviii.) 

There  are,  besides,  a  song  of  Moses,  (Psalm  xc.)  which  bears 
most  thoroughly  the  expression  of  his  austerity,  and  two  songs  of 
Solomon.  (Psalms  Ixxii.  cxxvii.)  Psalm  cxxxii.  which  was  sung 
at  the  dedication  of  Solomon's  Temple,  (Solomon's  prayer  contains, 
according  to  Chronicles,  some  passages  of  this  Psalm,)  may  perhaps 
have  him  for  its  author.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  cxxxii.) 


SECTION  IV. 

DOCTRINE   AND   ETHICS   OF  THE   PSALMS. 

!.•> — God  and  the  Government  of  the  World. 

HERDER  says,  "There  is  no  attribute,  no  perfection  of  God  left 
unexpressed,  in  the  simplest  and  most  powerful  manner,  in  the 
Psalms  and  the  Prophets."  In  fact,  we  can  hardly  realize  how 
much  energy  and  freshness  the  Christian  belief  in  God  would  lose, 
were  the  lofty  and  eternal  expressions  of  the  Psalms  on  the  being 
and  attributes  of  God  withdrawn  from  the  Christian  Church. 


INTRODUCTION.  33 

How  many  of  such  forcibles  passages,  stamped  upon  our  memory 
since  infancy's  tender  age,  have  entered  into  our  emotions  and 
thoughts,  and  often  quite  unconsciously  originated  those  represen- 
tations of  God  which  we  feel  inclined  to  regard  as  the  natural 
expression  of  every  human  heart.  Here  that  God  is  praised,  who, 
before  the  mountains,  the  earth,  and  the  world  had  been  created, 
is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting — who  surrounds  his  creatures, 
inquiring  everywhere— -whose  presence  cannot  be  avoided,  whether 
in  heaven  above,  or  the  depth  below — from  whom  darkness  can- 
not hide — who  reigns  as  the  Lord  omnipotent,  from  the  beginning, 
in  the  heavens — who  thunders  in  his  might — who  telleth  the 
number  of  the  stars,  and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names — who  is 
good  unto  all,  has  compassion  on  all  his  works,  and  giveth  food 
to  the  young  ravens  which  cry — who  delighteth  not  in  the  strength 
of  the  horse  nor  the  legs  of  a  man,  but  taketh  pleasure  in  them  that 
fear  him  and  hope  in  his  mercy — who,  like  as  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  pitieth  those  that  fear  him,  and  dealeth  not  with  us  after 
our  sins,  nor  rewardeth  us  according  to  our  iniquities.  Whatever 
truths  and  praises  can  be  said  of  the  wisdom,  eternity,  omnipotence, 
holiness,  and  mercy  of  God,  are  expressed  in  the  Psalms,  such  as 
Psalms  xc.  xci.  xcvii.  xxxiii.  ciii.  civ.  and  cxxxix.  Here  is  a  piety 
which,  on  the  one  hand  losing  itself  full  of  praise  in  the  care  of 
God,  as  in  Psalm  cxix.,  preserves  on  the  other,  a  clear  and  opened 
eye  for  his  glory  in  nature,  before  whose  view  the  declaration  in 
the  book  of  the  law  and  that  in  the  book  of  nature  entirely  commin- 
gle, e.  g.  Psalm  xix.  Here  we  have  the  unceasing  praise  of  God 
— in  gloomy  as  well  as  in  joyous  days,  for  mercies  temporal  and 
spiritual — in  every  variety  of  tone  and  expression.  The  last  psalms 
(cxlvii.  cxlviii.  and  cl.),  the  many-toned  echo  of  the  entire  book, 
or  like  the  end  of  a  long  chain  call  with  their  unceasing  "Praise 
ye  the  Lord/'  upon  Israel  and  all  mankind,  the  heights  and  the 
depths  and  the  heavenly  spirits,  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  their  praise 
to  the  Lord.  Those  who  adhere  to  the  erroneous  opinion  (Psalms 
xxix.  civ.  cxlv.)  that  the  God  of  Israel  was  the  God  of  the  nation 
only  in  that  sense,  that  the  people  believed,  besides  Him,  in  other 
though  impotent  heathen  deities,  may  derive  more  correct  views  from 
the  Psalms.  "  For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the  earth :  sing  ye  praises 
with  understanding.  God  reigneth  over  thejieaihen :  God  sitteth 
upon  the  throne  of  his  holiness."  (Psalm  xlvii.  7,  8.)  "0  God 
of  our  salvation,  who  art  the  confidence  of  all  the  ends  of  the  earthy 
and  of  them  that  are  afar  off  upon  the  sea."  (Psalm  Ixv.  5.) 
"Among  the  gods  there  is  none  like  unto  thee,  0  Lord;  neither 
are  there  any  works  like  unto  thy  works.  All  nations  whom  thou 
hast  made  shall  come  and  worship  before  thee,  0  Lord,  and  shall 
glorify  thy  name.  For  thou  art  great,  and  doest  wondrous  things : 
thou  art  God  alone."  (Psalm  Ixxxvi.  8 — 10.)  Because,  says  the 
Psalmist,  God  has  created  the  heathen,  therefore  they  shall  come 


34  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

and  worship  before  -him.  He  says  (verse  8),  "Among  the  gods 
there  is  none  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord;"  and  yet,  in  verse  10,  "Thou 
art  God  alone."  Is  this  not  sufficient  to  indicate  how  passages  are 
to  he  taken,  in  which  it  is  certainly  said,  that  God  is  greater  than 
any  other  god?  (Psalms  xcv.  3;  Ixxvii.  14;  xcvii,  9.)  What  else 
does  it  mean,  but  that  all  who  are  regarded  as  gods  are  nothing 
when  compared  with  Him?  This  is  distinctly  asserted  in  Psalm 
xcvi.  5:  "All  the  gods  of  the  nations  are  idols  (i.  e.  nonentities:) 
but  the  Lord  made  the  heavens."  With  this  corresponds  the 
language  of  the  prophets.  So  it  is  said  in  Jeremiah  xxvii.  5:  "/ 
have  made  the  earth,  the  man  and  the  beast  that  are  upon  the 
ground,  by  my  great  power  and  by  my  outstretched  arm,  and  have 
given  it  unto  whom  it  seemed  meet  unto  me."  So  in  Deut  x.  14; 
iv.  39 :  "Behold,  the  heaven  and  the  heaven  of  heavens  is  the  Lord's 
thy  God,  the  earth  (also,)  with  all  that  therein  is."  "Know  there- 
fore this  day,  and  consider  it  in  thine  heart,  that  the  Lord  he  is 
God  in  heaven  above,  and  upon  the  earth  beneath :  (there)  is  none 
else." 

Contrasted  with  the  gods  of  the  heathen,  which  are  less  than 
their  worshippers,  which  have  eyes  and  see  not,  and  ears  and  hear 
not — the  God  of  Israel  appears  as  the  living  God,  who  governs  the 
world,  and  that  in  righteousness;  who  maintaineth  the  right  and 
cause  of  the  innocent,  and  sitteth  enthroned  as  the  righteous  Judge, 
(Psalm  ix.  5 ;)  who  throweth  the  ungodly  into  the  ditch,  and  causeth 
their  desire  to  perish,  (Psalms  vii.  17;  cxii.  10;)  who  preserveth 
the  soul  of  His  saints,  and  delivereth  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
wicked,  (Psalm  xcvii.  10;)  who  heareth  the  cry  of  the  righteous, 
(Psalm  xxxiv.  18;)  delivereth  them  out  of  all  trouble,  and  maketh 
their  eyes  to  see  their  desire  upon  their  enemies,  (Psalm  liv.  9 ;) 
who  causeth  the  godly  to  prosper  in  whatsoever  he  doeth,  (Psalm 
i.  3,)  wealth  and  riches  to  be  in  his  house,  (Tsalm  cxii.  3,)  that 
they  shall  not  be  ashamed  in  the  evil  time,  and  in  the  days  of  famine 
they  shall  be  satisfied,  (Psalm  xxxvii.  16;)  for  "  I  have  been  young, 
and  now  I  am  old:  yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor 
his  seed  begging  bread."  (Psalm  xxvii.  25.)  All  these  things  are 
continually  being  repeated  in  the  course  of  the  world,  though  fre- 
quently the  contrary  really  takes  or  seems  to  take  place,  so  that 
expressions  like  those  quoted,  will  both  edify  and  startle  pious  read- 
ers. It  is  necessary  for  their  right  understanding  first  to  inspect 
those  passages,  which  show  that  the  Psalmist,  no  less  than  we,  had 
to  realize  the  experience  of  innocence  being  crushed,  and  malice 
triumphant,  of  virtue  struggling  with  poverty  and  wretchedness, 
and  of  wickedness  revelling  in  abundance.  "I  have  seen  the 
wicked  in  great  power,  and  spreading  himself  like  a  green  bay- 
tree."  (Psalm  xxxvii.  35.)  "The  ways  of  the  wicked  prosper 
always:  thy  judgments  are  far  above  out  of  his  sight:  as  for  all  his 
enemies,  he  puffeth  at  them."  (Psalm  x.  5.)  "The  wicked  des- 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

troy  the  foundations,  what  can  the  righteous  do?"  (Psalm  xi.  3.) 
Asaph  says,  that  his  steps  had  almost  slipped  at  the  sight  of  the 
undisturbed  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  when  it  seemed  as  if  he  had 
cleansed  his  heart  in  vain  and  washed  his  hands  in  innocency  to 
no  purpose.  (Psalm  Ixiii.  1 — 15.)  Had  not  David  to  empty  the 
cup  of  sorrow  for  ten  years  and  to  bear  privation  and  peril?  But 
what  is  the  meaning  of  the  assurances  that  God  is  ruling  the  world, 
causing  the  prosperity  of  the  righteous,  and  throwing  the  wicked  into 
their  own  net?  They  simply  mean  that  "right  is  right  after  all" 
(this  is  Luther's  rendering  of  Psalm  xciv.  15,)  "tandem  bona  causa 
triumphal"  They  express  the  truths  so  deeply  inscribed  upon  the 
hearts  of  all  men,  and  confirmed  by  revelation,  that  the  Divine  gov- 
ernment of  the  world  is  based  on  justice,  that  evil  is  ever  condemned 
by  its  indestructible  laws,  and  that  its  condemnation  will  sooner 
or  later  be  made  manifest.  For  the  further  elucidation  of  the 
before  quoted  passages,  we  should  add  such  as  these:  "Cast  thy 
burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  sustain  thee."  "He  will  not 
leave  for  ever  the  righteous  in  trouble."  (Ps.  Iv.  22.)  "Many  are 
the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,  but  the  Lord  delivereth.  him  out  of 
them  all."  (Ps.  xxxiv.  20.)  "Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous, 
and  gladness  for  the  upright  in  heart."  (Ps.  xcvii.  11.)  "Unto 
the  upright  there  ariseth  light  in  the  darkness,  from  Him  who  is 
gracious,  and  full  of  compassion  and  righteous."  (Ps.  cxii.  4.) 
But  when  is  that  light  to  rise?  Very  often  here  on  earth,  after 
weeks,  or  years,  and  if  not  to  the  fathers  yet  to  their  children. 
(Ps.  cii.  29.)  "God  overturns  the  measure  of  the  ungodly,  when 
it  gets  full."  "When  wrong  gets  too  insolent,  it  commits  suicide." 
"Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes."  "Lightly  come,  lightly  go." 
"Ill-gotten  gains  don't  prosper."  "Took  by  fraud,  comes  to 
naught."  "Honest  gain  will  ever  remain."  "The  world's  the 
world  after  all;  depend  on  it,  and  you're  sure  to  fall."  "Avarice 
gathers  itself  poor,  charity  pays  itself  rich."  "  Honesty  is  the  best 
policy."  Could  these  proverbs  have  originated  with  the  people,  if 
there  were  no  temporal  revelations  of  a  righteous  government  of 
the  world?  We  hear  the  voice  of  experience  when  David  says, 
that  he  had  not  seen  the  seed  of  the  righteous  begging  for  bread, 
but  that  he  had  beheld  the  sudden  disappearance  of  the  wicked, 
though  he  spread  himself  like  a  green  bay-tree,  (Ps.  xxxvii.  25. 
36;)  and  Asaph  states:  "Then  understood  I  their  end:  surely 
Thou  didst  set  them  in  slippery  places :  thou  castedst  them  down 
into  destruction.  How  are  they  brought  into  desolation,  as  in  a 
moment;  they  are  utterly  consumed  with  terrors."  (Ps.  Ixxiii. 
17 — 19.)  The  truly  pious  and  upright  man  is  a  faithful  friend,  a 
kind  neighbour,  a  conscientious  citizen,  a  careful  parent,  and  dili- 
gent at  his  occupation:  is  it  conceivable  that  his  descendants 
should  be  reduced  to  penury  and  find  no  friends !  (Cf.  ad.  Ps. 
xxxvii.  25,  and  Ps.  i.)  The  ungodly,  on  the  other  hand,  who 


36  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

rears  his  fortune  by  wrong  means,  can  hardly  be  said  to  attain  to 
pure  joy,  while  he*  has  more  dangerous  enemies  in  his  passions 
than  amongst  his  numerous  adversaries:  how  easily  may  he  fall 
from  his  height!  Cases  which  compel  children  to  return  their 
parents'  ill-gotten  gain  are  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  laws  of 
the  Divine  government  of  the  world,  however,  are  analogous  to 
those  of  summer  and  winter,  sunshine  and  rain,  health  and  disease, 
youth  and  old  age,  and  many  other  things.  Considered  in  the 
aggregate  they  may  be  referred  to  certain  rules  and  arrangements, 
though  they  apply  not  always  in  particular  instances.  But  as  in 
our  present  state  of  probation,  the  full  revelation  of  the  justice  of 
God  is  held  in  check  by  his  long-suffering,  that  the  field  of  the 
world  might  exhibit  both  wheat  and  tares,  (Rom.  ii.  4;  Matt.  xiii. 
30,)  so  all  the  particular  judgments  of  God  refer  for  their  consum- 
mation to  the  last  judgment.  Although  the  expectations  of  the 
Old  Testament  saints  respecting  the  future  were  on  the  whole 
concealed  in  darkness,  there  are  nevertheless  distinct  references  to 
the  last  judgment  to  be  found  in  the  Prophets  and  the  Psalms. 
,  See  Ps.  i.  5,  6;  xxxvii.  37,  38;  xvii.  14,  15;  xlix.  15,  16;  Ixxiii. 
23,  24;  xcvi.  13;  xcviii.  9,  in  the  Commentary.  The  belief  in 
the  justice  of  the  Divine  government  of  the  world  expressed  by 
the  Psalmists,  yields  therefore  on  the  one  hand  the  character  of 
hope  with  respect  to  the  future,  and  shows  on  the  other  that  it  de- 
rived its  nourishment  from  the  daily  experience  of  the  present. 
To  this  let  us  add  the  following.  Every  attempt  to  determine  the 
limits  within  which  Divine  justice  is  wont  or  able  to  reveal  itself 
as  a  universal  law,  would  be  labour  lost.  The  history  of  the  J  ew- 
ish  nation  in  general,  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  and  Israel  in  par- 
ticular, and  the  fate  of  the  Jews  down  to  the  present  time,  show 
the  more  regular  appearance  of  such  revelations  in  certain  cycles; 
moreover,  the  descent  to  sensible  revelations  belongs  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  ancient  economy:  now,  does  all  this  not  entitle  us  to  the 
assumption,  that  the  Divine  government  of  the  world  was  wont 
even  in  the  case  of  individuals  more  frequently  than  with  us,  to 
crown  piety  with  blessings  and  requite  injustice  with  curse? 
Thus  much  is  certain,  that  the  Prophets  did  not  confine  the  an- 
nouncement of  Divine  judgments  to  nations,  but  proclaimed  them 
to  individuals,  when  sin  was  followed  by  immediate  punishment. 
(E.  g.  Isa.  xxii.  15,  etc.]  Jer.  xxviii.;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  12,  13.) 
This  explains  the  confidence  with  which  the  Psalmists  insist  upon 
the  principle  that  the  good  can  never  fare  ill. 

II. — Man  and  Sin. 

Our  apprehension  of  the  majesty  and  holiness  of  God  should  be 
accompanied  by  a  sense  of  our  own  nothingness  and  sin.  The 
Psalmist,  alluding  to  the  statement  in  Genesis,  speaks  of  man  as 


INTRODUCTION.  37 

made  a  little  lower  than  God,  (Luther,)  that  God  hath  put  all 
things  under  his  feet,  and  glories  in  the  fact  that  man,  though 
externally  more  helpless  than  any  other  creature,  does  by  virtue  of 
his  Godlike  soul  wield  the  government  of  nature.  (Ps.  viii.)  Yet 
how  defective  is  that  dominion  at  present !  (  Vide  ad.  Ps.  viii.  7.) 
How  small  is  the  manifestation  of  that  dignity,  the  capacity  of 
which  man  certainly  possesses;  how  circumscribed  and  humbling 
his  present  bodily  existence;  how  much  exposed  to  accident  and 
how  soon  destroyed!  Hence  the  same  David  says,  "The  Lord 
knoweth  our  frame:  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust.  As  for 
man,  his  days  are  as  grass :  as  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourish- 
eth.  For  the  wind  passeth  over  it  and  it  is  gone,  and  the  place 
thereof  shall  know  it  no  more/'  (Ps.  ciii.  14 — 16.)  "Surely  men 
of  low  degree  are  vanity,  and  men  of  high  degree  a  lie :  to  be  laid 
in  the  balance,  they  are  altogether  lighter  than  vanity."  (Ps.  Ixii. 
9.)  And  in  the  eighth  Psalm,  which  celebrates  the  dignity  of 
man,  he  exclaims  in  contemplation  of  the  infinity  and  greatness  of 
God  in  his  works,  "What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him, 
and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him?"  Thus  do  the  Psalms 
speak  of  the  impotency  and  finiteness  of  man.  This  our  perish- 
able condition  is  by  no  means  the  necessary  and  absolute  barrier  of 
created  existence,  but  the  effect  of  internal  discord  originated  by 
sin.  It  manifests  "the  wrath  of  God  because  of  sin."  (Cf  .Ps.  xc. 
7 — 9.)  The  authors  of  the  Psalms  are  so  alive  to  a  sense  of  guilt, 
that  the  voice  of  their  conscience  is  audible  amid  all  the  accidental 
trials  and  sorrows  of  life  and  the  mischiefs  perpetrated  by  ene- 
mies, and  that  they  acknowledge  the  justice  of  the  Divine  chastise- 
ments. (Ad.  Ps.  xxxviii.  21;  cxli.  5.)  They  feel  themselves  not 
entitled  to  the  reception  of  Divine  blessings  without  the  confession 
of  their  unworthiness.  The  exultant  spring  song  of  praise  in 
Psalm  Ixv.  is  preceded  by  a  confession  of  sin.*  They  acknowledge 
that  were  God  to  enter  into  judgment  with  man,  and  to  mark  his 
iniquities,  none  could  stand  before  him;  (Ps.  cxxx.  3;  cxliii.  2; 
cf.  1  Kings  viii.  46;  Eccl.  vii.  21;  Job  ix.  2;  xiv.  4;  xv.  14-16;) 
that  unconscious  sin,  regarded  as  a  condition  which  apparently 
contradicts  the  original  of  a  pure  and  holy  human  kind,  needs  the 
Divine  forgiveness;  that  sinfulness  does  not  enter  into  our  nature 
by  imitation  from  without,  but  that  it  is  in  us  from  the  first  stages 
of  our  existence.  (Ps.  li.  7.)  Far  from  seeking  a  ground  for  jus- 
tification in  our  native  depravity,  David  made  that  confession  to 
indicate  the  sincerity  of  his  repentance  and  to  show  that  he  was 
alive  to  the  full  extent  of  his  guilt.  What  an  evidence  of  the 
depth  of  the  perception  of  sin  is  furnished  in  expressions  of  pain 
and  grief  like  those  in  Psalm  xxxii.  "My  bones  waxed  old 

*  De  Wette  concludes  that  the  people  had  experienced  some  national 
calamity,  and  that  the  Psalm  was  composed  in  exile. 
4 


38  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

through  my  roaring  all  the  day  long :  my  moisture  is  turned  into 
the  drought  of  summer."*  While  natural  reason  talks  only  of 
trespasses  against  the  moral  law  or  man,  and  on  that  account  re- 
mains so  cold  at  the  commission  of  sin,  every  transgression  is 
regarded  in  the  Psalms  as  a  trespass  against  the  Divine  word 
and  the  living  God,  whose  will  originates  the  moral  law.  "Thy 
word  have  I  hid  in  mine  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin  against  thee." 
(Ps.  cxix.  11.)  Conscious  of  his  greatest  offence  against  man,  he 
cries,  "Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned/'  rightly  apprehend- 
ing that  the  most  objectionable  element  of  sin  is  its  encroachment 
upon  the  Divine  law  and  the  proof  of  man's  wilful  separation  from 
and  opposition  to  God.  Where  is  to  be  found  a  more  touching  con- 
fession of  a  guilt-convicted  conscience  than  in  Psalm  xxxii.  3,  4? 
"When  I  kept  silence  (intended  to  conceal,)  my  bones  waxed 
old  through  my  roaring  all  the  day  long.  For  day  and  night  thy 
hand  was  heavy  upon  me :  my  moisture  is  turned  into  the  drought 
of  summer/'  The  Psalmists  occasionally  speak  of  innocence  and 
the  purity  of  their  hands,  (Ps.  vii.  9;  xviii.  21 — 26;  xvii.  3;  xxvi. 
2 — 6;  xli.  13,)  but  the  preceding  observations  clearly  show  that 
they  refer  not  to  absolute  integrity  before  God,  but  rather  to  guilt- 
lessness towards  man.  In  Psalm  xxxviii.  the  experience  of 
affliction  awakes  a  painful  sense  of  guilt  in  David,  and  yet  he 
gives  expression  to  the  consciousness  of  his  innocence.  He  says 
(Ps.  Ixix.  4,)  "They  that  hate  me  without  a  cause,  are  more  than 
the  hairs  of  mine  head,"  and  then  adds,  "0  God,  thou  knowest 
my  foolishness:  and  my  sins  are  not  hid  from  thee.11  (Cf.  in  Ps. 
xxv.  verses  7.  11.  18,  with  verses  19 — 21,  and  in  Ps.  xli.  verse  5 
with  verse  13.)  The  assertion  of  his  purity  in  Psalm  xvii.  3,  4,  is 
preceded  by  "Let  my  sentence  come  forth  from  thy  presence:  let 
thine  eyes  behold  the  things  that  are  equal."  It  is  incontestably 
clear  from  Psalm  vii.  3 — 5,  that  David  refers  in  verse  8,  "  Judge 
me,  0  Lord,  according  to  my  righteousness  and  according  to  mine 
integrity,  that  is  in  me/'  to  righteousness  and  integrity  in  relation 
to  specific  accusations.  And  if  such  were  not  the  case,  might  not 
a  man,  while  assuring  us  of  the  sincerity  of  his  piety,  be  at  the 
same  time  conscious  of  daily  failings  and  multiform  guilt?  Such 
sincerity  shows  itself  when  we  delight  in  the  commandments  of 
God,  and  strive  to  obey  them;  though  the  surmounting  of  obstacles 

*  Contemplating  passages  of  Scripture  so  solemn,  we  are,  against  our 
inclination,  reminded  of  the  folly  of  interpreters.  As,  however,  benefit 
may  accrue  from  knowing  with  what  impure  hands  interpreting  theolo- 
gians have  touched  this  book,  and  to  show  our  sympathy  with  the  distress 
of  the  Church  in  this  respect,  let  us  adduce  an  instance :  A.  W.  Krahmer, 
a  modern  interpreter,  (The  Psalms  Translated  and  Interpreted,  Leips. 
1837,  vol.  i.  p.  90,)  says  that  David  could  not  have  been  the  author  of  this 
psalm  (Ps.  xxxii.),  "Because  he  was  then  not  a  fever  patient,  but  well  and  in 
good  health." 


INTRODUCTION.  39 

constitutes  the  business  of  this  life.  Who  would  have  expected  a 
confession  of  sin  (Ps.  xl.  12,)  after  the  description  of  a  heart  so 
completely  resigned  to  the  will  of  God,  as  that  which  precedes  it  ? 
The  same  Asaph  who  declares  God  to  be  his  sole  consolation  and 
portion,  was  not  far  from  joining  in  the  outrage  of  the  wicked, 
"  that  there  is  no  righteous  God  in  heaven."  (Ps.  Ixxiii.)  How 
frequently  occur  expressions  like  these:  "I  will  keep  thy  statutes. 
I  will  not  forget  thy  word/'  in  Psalm  cxix.;  but  that  prevents  not 
David  from  praying,  "  Let  thy  merciful  kindness  be  for  my  com- 
fort." (Ps.  cxix.  76.)  It  is  to  be  noticed,  that  however  much  the 
Psalmists  refer  to  their  integrity,  they  never  demand,  but  suppli- 
cate aid  and  deliverance  at  the  hands  of  the  righteous  God :  that 
they  hope  in  that  name  by  which  the  Lord  had  named  himself 
(Exod.  xxxiv.  6,)  "  Merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth."  (Psalms  xxxi.  4;  xl.  12;  Ixix. 
30:  cxix.  77;  xli.  4;  xxv.  11;  lii.  11;  Ixxix.  9;  ciii.  8;  cxlv.  8. 

III. — The  Piety  and  Morality  of  the  Psalmists. 

Piety  is  the  sense  of  the  relation  of  our  dependence  on  God.  It 
may  be  servile,  accompanied  by  a  sense  of  fear  and  separation 
from  God;  or  child-like,  accompanied  by  love,  reconciliation  to, 
and  unity  with  God.  When  the  thought  of  Divine  justice  enters 
into  a  sinner's  consciousness,  his  being  afraid  of  God  will  be  pro- 
portioned to  his  realizing  the  estrangement  of  his  heart  from  God. 
The  Psalmist  expresses  that  fear  in  almost  appalling  terms:  "  My 
flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee."  (Psalms  cxix.  cxx.)  But  when 
God  reveals  himself  to  sinful  man  as  gracious  and  forgiving,  while 
his  conscience  in  spite  of  his  faults  and  infirmities  testifies  to  his 
desire  to  obey  the  Divine  commandments,  love  and  the  condition 
of  peace  with  God  will  ensue.  The  institution  of  sacrifices  for  the 
atonement  of  sins  of  error  and  weakness  had  revealed  God  to  his 
people  as  the  forgiver  of  sins;  and  in  the  important  passage  in  Ex. 
xxxiv.  6,  7,  he  proclaimed  his  name  as  "The  Lord,  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  good- 
ness and  truth,  keeping  mercy  unto  the  thousandth  generation, 
forgiving  iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty;  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children,  and  upon  the  children's  children,  unto  the  third  and 
to  the  fourth  generation."  The  revelation  of  the  God  of  love 
avowing  blessings  to  the  pious  down  to  the  thousandth,  and  pun- 
ishment to  the  ungodly  (Cf.  Psalm  ciii.  17,  18,  notes,)  down  to 
the  third  and  the  fourth  generation,  was  well  adapted  to  kindle 
reciprocal  love  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  Israel.  The 
Psalms  show  that  the  Old  Testament  saints  stood  to  God  in  the 
relation  of  love  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  we  imagine.  Who 
can  remain  untouched  on  hearing  the  words  of  David  at  the  begin- 


40  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ning  of  the  Psalm  of  thanksgiving,  which  he  sung  towards  the 
close  of  his  life,  and  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  his 
experience  of  life?  "I  will  love  thee,  O  Lord,  my  strength/' 
(Psalm  xviii.  1.)  "Thou  art  my  Lord,  all  my  goods  I  prefer  not 
to  thee."  (Psalm  xvi.  2.)  "This  I  know,  for  God  is  for  me." 
No  Christian  could  describe  in  sweeter  language  the  peace  of  recon- 
ciliation than  we  find  it  done  in  Psalms  xvi.  xxiii.  ciii.  Ixxiii.  xxvi. 
xxvii.  Ixxi.  14 — 24,  etc.  How  happy  must  have  been  their  com- 
munion with  God  who  say,  "  How  excellent  is  thy  lovingkindness, 
O  God !  therefore  the  children  of  men  put  their  trust  under  the 
shadow  of  thy  wings,  they  are  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  fatness 
of  thy  house,  and  thou  makest  them  drink  of  the  river  of  thy 
pleasures."  (Psalm  xxxvi.  8,  9.)  "Blessed  is  the  man  whom 
thou  choosest  and  causest  to  approach  unto  thee,  that  he  may 
dwell  in  thy  courts;  he  shall  be  satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  thy 
house,  even  of  thy  holy  temple."  (Psalm  Ixv.  5.)  "  Thy  loving- 
kindness  is  better  than  life — when  I  remember  thee  upon  my  bed, 
and  meditate  on  thee  in  the  night  watches."  (Psalm  Ixiii.  4.  7.) 
It  is  always  the  mark  of  a  strong  and  healthy  divine  life,  when  the 
traces  of  God  are  recognized  in  surrounding  nature.  Do  classical 
songs  celebrate  the  traces  of  God  in  nature?  The  Psalms  contain 
the  sublimest  and  most  fervent  praises  of  the  majesty  of  God 
which  is  everywhere  revealed  in  nature.  (Cf.  sec.  iv.  1.  on  God 
and  the  Government  of  the  World.)  From  the  relation  to  God 
springs  the  relation  to  his  law.  All  must  bow  to  his  law,  either 
willingly  or  unwillingly.  So  the  Jews  of  the  Old  Testament  were 
mostly  coerced  to  the  keeping  of  the  covenant  of  God;  (Jer.  xxxi. 
32 ;)  but  there  were  many  who  loved  the  lawgiver  as  well  as  his 
law.  The  Psalms  furnish  most  remarkable  evidences  of  this  kind : 
they  begin  with  Psalm  i. : — the  law  is  described  as  the  delight  of 
man :  as  sweeter  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb :  as  the  riches, 
the  peculiar  portion  and  possession  of  the  pious :  as  the  song  in 
the  house  of  his  pilgrimage  (Psalms  xix.  8 — 11,  cxix.  54.  56,  57. 
103.  111.)  Is  it  possible  to  find  an  instance  of  more  thorough 
absorption  of  the  human  will  in  the  law  of  God  than  this?  "I 
delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God:  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my 
heart."  (Psalm  xl.  9.)  We  are  therefore  entitled  to  the  assump- 
tion, that  morality  of  the  purest  kind,  as  the  effect  of  filial  love  to 
God,  formed  part  of  the  obedience  of  the  Old  Testament  saints. 
The  depth  of  their  convictions  of  sin  on  the  one  hand,  and  their 
fervent  sense  of  intimacy  and  communion  with  God  on  the  other, 
must  also  have  led  to  the  knowledge  that  virtue  could  only  exist 
under  and  by  such  a  combination.  The  Psalms  declare  that  only 
in  God's  light  can  man  see  light,  (Psalm  xxxvi.  9,)  and  that  God 
fashioneth  the  hearts  of  men.  (Psalm  xxxiii.  15.)  The  pious 
singers  pray  to  be  guided  by  the  light  and  counsel  of  God :  to  be 
led  through  the  paths  of  his  commandments :  and  to  be  kept  by  the 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

mercy  of  God,  when  their  feet  begin  to  slip.  (Psalms  xliii.  3; 
cxxxix.  24;  v.  9;  xxv.  5;  xxvii.  11;  cxix.  35;  xciv.  18.)  They 
beg  for  the  Spirit  of  God  as  the  source  of  their  strength  for  every 
kind  of  good.  (Psalms  li.  18;  cxliii.  10.) 

"We  must,  however,  not  apprehend  the  filial  relationship  of  the 
Old  Testament  saints  as  uninterrupted  and  continuous :  every  grave 
transgression  tended  to  banish  it,  and  it  could  not  be  regained 
without  severe  struggles.  David  mourns  at  being  since  his  fall 
deprived  of  "a  constant  spirit,"  "the  spirit  of  joy/'  and  "the  help 
of  God/'  (Ps.  li.  12,  etc.  in  Luther's  version.)  The  intensity  of 
internal  discord  under  such  circumstances,  is  proportioned  to  the 
distinct  apprehension,  that  sacrifices  have  no  atoning  virtues  in 
themselves,  but  possess  only  a  typical  meaning,  (Psalm  li.  18,  19.) 
that  the  real  sacrifice  is  the  offering  of  our  will  to  God,  and  the 
reception  of  his  law  into  our  hearts.  (Psalm  xl.  7 — 9.)  Faith, 
however,  always  conquers  despondency,  and  the  Spirit  stamps  the 
assurance  of  the  forgiveness  of  specific  transgressions  so  powerfully 
even  on  the  minds  of  individuals,  that  David  afterwards  exclaims, 
full  of  confidence,  "  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 
whose  sin  is  covered."  (Psalm  xxxii.  1.)  Two  questions  arise  in 
connection  with  this  subject.  How  could  forgiveness  take  place 
before  the  atonement  of  our  Lord  Jesus  ?  and  could  the  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  be  called  regenerated?  Those  who  put  the  first,  for- 
get that  successive  events  in  time  are  eternally  present  before  God : 
hence  Paul's  mighty  declaration,  that  from  before  the  creation  of 
man,  yea,  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  God  chose 
believers  in  Christ  to  holiness.  (Eph.  i.  4.)  The  whole  of  God's 
relationship  to  man  rests  therefore  on  the  presumption  of  an  eternal 
objective  atonement  in  Christ.  Regarding  the  second  question,  it 
is  well  known  that  the  Lutheran  Church  sets  forth  regeneration  as 
embodying  repentance  and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  could  not  have  that  faith,  because  Christ  had  not  been 
preached  to  them :  it  might  be  said  that  they  believed  in  the  Mes- 
siah, but,  everything  else  abstracted,  they  do  not  associate  the  for- 
giveness of  their  sins  with  the  Messiah.  Therefore  regeneration 
applies  only  in  so  far  to  Old  Testament  saints,  that  there  were  some 
in  whom  the  consciousness  of  repentance  and  peace  with  God  pre- 
dominated :  though  that  could  not  by  any  means  be  so  confirmed 
and  clear  an  inward  condition  as  it  is  with  believers  in  the  gospel 
of  the  incarnate  Saviour. 

The  moral  attitude  towards  their  enemies  has  always  formed  an 
objection  to  the  morality  of  the  Psalmists.  Instead  of  the  mild 
voice  of  placability  and  compassion,  we  hear  the  tumult  of  revenge, 
and  prayers  for  the  condemnation  of  their  enemies.  Augustine 
already  felt  its  offensiveness  and  endeavoured  to  palliate  it  by 
observing,  that  there  was  no  reference  to  the  ivishes  of  the  Psalm- 
ists, but  to  predictions  of  such  of  God's  visitations,  which  were 
4* 


42  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

doubtlessly  suspended  over  confirmed  sinners.  (Opp.  v.  Sermo.  22; 
also  Luther  ad.  Psalm  Iv.)  In  modern  times  the  opinion  seems  to 
obtain,  that  love  to  enemies  is  enjoined  as  a  duty  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament only.  The  gratuitousness  of  that  opinion  is  apparent  from 
consulting  correct  translations  of  Lev.  xix.  18;  Ex.  xxiii.  4,  5; 
Prov.  xxiv.  17,  18.  29;  xxv.  21,  22;  Job  xxxi.  29;  Sirach 
xxviii.  1 — 11.  To  form  a  right  estimate  of  the  misgivings  alluded 
to,  we  should  consider  the  end  contemplated  by  punishment.  The 
common  view  is  that  with  God  and  the  pious  punishment  springs 
from  love  and  contemplates  the  improvement  of  man.  But  what  is 
to  be  done  if  you  have  to  deal  with  an  incorrigible  sinner  ?  If 
this  is  denied  as  positively  true,  its  possibility  ought  to  be  admitted, 
and  should  even  that  be  objected  to,  provision  ought  to  be  made 
for  the  case  which  renders  improvement  within  a  fixed  period  of 
time  inconceivable,  because  a  better  system  of  control  is  to  be 
waited  for.  Nobody,  methinks,  would  maintain  that  the  consoli- 
dation of  man's  impenitence  ought  to  cancel  his  liability  to  punish- 
ment, especially  because,  supposing  him  freed  from  positive  punish- 
ment, the  so-called  natural  punishment,  viz.  internal  discord  or 
spiritual  death,  is  sure  to  visit  him  with  an  increased  force  accord- 
ing to  the  measure  of  his  obstinacy.  The  end  of  improvement 
therefore  cannot  exhaust  the  purpose  of  punishment.  Philosophy 
agrees  with  Christianity,  that  the  specific  purpose  of  punishment  is 
retribution;  i.  e.  the  welfare  of  the  individual  is  to  be  disturbed  in 
the  same  measure  as  he  has  disturbed  or  infringed  upon  the  law  of 
God  or  the  State.  Hence  it  appears  that  to  deny  the  punishment 
of  a  hardened  sinner  (riot  on  personal  ground,  but  from  a  sense  of 
the  holiness  of  the  Divine  law,)  is  as  little  to  be  regarded  as  evi- 
dencing moral  imperfection,  as  it  would  be  to  desire  that  those  who 
are  susceptible  for  improvement,  should  by  means  of  correctives  be 
brought  to  their  senses.  The  objection  is  met,  if  it  can  be  shown 
that  the  imprecations  and  prayers  for  Divine  punishment  do  not 
flow  from  the  vindictive  disposition  (viz.  personal  irritability  and 
passion)  of  the  Psalmists,  but  from  tne  motives  just  now  alluded 
to.  Those  supplications  would  then  correspond  to  the  earnest 
desire  of  a  good  monarch  or  a  just  judge  to  discover  the  guilty  that 
justice  might  be  administered,  and  the  expressions  of  David,  the 
private  individual,  ought  to  be  referred  to  those  noble  motives 
which  developed  the  principles  he  uttered  when  a  king.  (Ps.  ci.  8.) 
We  are  constrained  to  assume  this  in  the  case  at  least  of  David's 
Psalms,  from  having  first  perused  the  historic  record  of  his  deeds, 
which  more  than  any  words  breathe  a  forgiving  disposition,  we  pass 
on  to  the  reading  of  his  psalms.  If  his  acts  were  untainted  by  vin- 
dictive passion,  is  it  likely  that  it  should  only  attach  to  his  words  ? 
But  we  find  many  expressions  in  unison  with  his  deeds;  e.  g.  "If 
I  have  rewarded  evil  unto  him  that  was  at  peace  with  me,  (yea,  I 
have  delivered  him  that  without  cause  is  mine  enemy:)  let  the 


INTRODUCTION.  43 

enemy  persecute  my  soul  and  take  it :  yea,  let  him  tread  down  my 
life  upon  the  earth/7  (Ps.  vii.  5,  6.)  Here  again  he  refers  to  the 
same  persecution,  (Ps.  cxli.  5:)  "Let  the  righteous  (God)  smite 
me,  it  shall  be  a  kindness;  and  let  him  reprove  me,  it  shall  be  an 
excellent  oil  which  shall  not  break  my  head,  for  yet  my  prayer 
shall  be  at  their  offences/'  "They  rewarded  me  evil  for  good 
to  the  spoiling  of  my  soul.  But  as  for  me,  when  they  were  sick, 
my  clothing  was  sackcloth :  I  afflicted  my  soul  with  fasting,  and 
my  prayer  returned  into  mine  own  bosom."  (Ps.  xxxv.  12,  13.) 
So  in  Psalm  xxxviii.  21,  "They  also  that  render  evil  for  good  are 
mine  adversaries  :  because  I  follow  the  thing  that  good  is."  "  For 
my  love,  they  are  my  adversaries;  but  I  give  myself  unto  prayer. 
And  they  have  rewarded  me  evil  for  good,  and  hatred  for  my  love." 
(Ps.  cix.  4,  5.)  The  didactic  Psalm  xxxvii.  opens  with  "  Fret  not 
thyself  (get  not  angry)  because  of  evil  doers."  Now  when  the 
same  man  calls,  (Ps.  vii.  35,)  upon  God  as  Judge,  and  utters  in 
Psalm  cix.  imprecations,  it  is  but  fair  to  refer  his  thirst  for  the 
punishment  of  sin  to  purer  motives  than  personal  vindictive  passion. 
We  are  indeed  for  the  most  part  enabled  to  judge  of  the  source 
from  which  his  prayers  for  punishment  flow.  There  uniformly 
exist  motives  similar  to  those  so  sublimely  expressed  in  Psalm 
Ixiv.  10,  11,  "And  all  men  shall  fear  and  shall  declare,  It  is  the 
Lord's  work;  and  they  shall  wisely  mark  his  doing.  The  righteous 
shall  be  glad  in  the  Lord,  and  shall  trust  in  him:  and  all  the 
upright  in  heart  shall  glory." 

The  Psalmists  frequently  state  sentiments  like  the  following  as 
the  motives  of  their  prayers  for  the  punishment  of  their  enemies : 
that  the  holiness  of  God  and  his  righteous  government  of  the  world 
should  be  acknowledged,  that  the  faith  of  the  pious  should  be 
strengthened,  that  they  should  praise  God,  that  the  haughtiness  of 
the  ungodly  should  be  brought  within  bounds,  that  they  should 
know  that  God  is  the  righteous  judge  of  the  world,  and  that  the 
fulfilment  of  his  glorious  promises  should  not  fail.  (Psalm  v.  11, 12; 
ix.  20,  21;  xii.  9;  xxviii.  4,  5;  xxii.  23—32;  xxxv.  24;  xl.  17; 
lix.  14;  cix.  27;  cxlii.  8.)  Aye,  they  even  boast  of  their  hatred 
against  their  enemies,  because  "THEY  HATE  GOD."  (Psalm 
cxxxix.  21.)  Offence  may  be  taken  at  their  straightway  putting 
down  their  own  enemies  as  those  of  God.  But  what  evidence  have 
we  that  they  do  it  straightway?  Returning  to  David,  who  is 
prepared  to  deny  the  impiousness  of  the  two  chief  sections  of  his 
persecutors?  A  king  passionate  to  madness,  breathing  slaughter 
against  his  son-in-law  to  whom  he  was  greatly  indebted;  courtiers 
thirsting  for  blood,  like  a  Doeg,  who  on  no  other  ground  than  that 
of  gaining  the  favour  of  his  sovereign  could  kill  eighty  helpless 
priests;  or  an  Ahithophel,  beguiling  Absalom  to  revolt  against  his 
father  and  to  stain  the  honour  of  royalty,  (2  Sam.  xvi.  21;)  in 
sight  of  wickedness  so  great,  David  may  well  advocate  the  claims 


44  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

of  God.  Confining  ourselves  to  the  general  meaning  of  the  tern 
"enemies/'  the  description  in  the  Psalms  may  often  appear  over 
drawn.  We  should  realize  the  fact,  that  in  certainly  most  instance 
reference  is  made  to  vile  traitors  of  a  sanguinary  disposition,  t< 
rebels  and  assassins;  and  that  in  some  places  David  speaks  a 
king,  who  as  a  ruler  is  obliged  to  wield  the  sword  which  God  ha 
entrusted  to  his  keeping.  This  applies  to  Psalm  Iviii.  which  i 
distinguished  for  its  many  imprecations,  and  to  all  the  psalm 
which  refer  to  Absalom,  e.  g.  Psalm  Ixiii.  We  do  not  even  in  th 
New  Testament  meet  with  absolute  forgiving  love  either  in  God  o 
his  servants.  The  wrath  of  God  is  said  to  abide  on  tfrose  whi 
believe  not  on  his  Son,  (John  iii.  36 :)  that  "  it  is  a  fearful  thin] 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God :"  that  "  God  is  a  con 
Burning  fire/'  (Heb.  x.  31;  xii.  29.)  In  terms  not  less  offensiv 
than  those  in  the  Psalms,  Christ  announces  judgment  to  the  cursed 
(Matt.  xxv.  41,)  and  foretells  the  judgment  of  God  to  those  wh 
had  rejected  the  Son.  (Matt.  xxi.  41,  44;  Luke  xxiii.  29,  30. 
Was  it  not  Peter  who,  in  the  name  of  God,  announced  death  t 
Ananias  and  Sapphira,  and  did  not  the  event  show  that  his  speed 
was  far  from  being  idle  passion  ?  Did  he  not  say  to  Simon  th 
sorcerer,  in  holy  indignation,  "Thy  money  perish  with  thee,"  ye 
not  without  adding,  "Repent  therefore  of  this  thy  wickedness" 
(Acts  viii.  20.  22.)  Did  not  Paul  strike  Elymas  the  sorcerer  wit! 
blindness,  and  call  him  a  child  of  the  devil  ?  Did  he  not  solemnl 
"deliver  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  the  flesh"  (1  Cor.  v.  5, 
the  wicked  Corinthian  who  had  married  his  step-mother,  and  saj 
"Alexander  the  coppersmith  did  me  much  evil:  the  Lord  rewar< 
him  according  to  his  works"  ?  (2  Tim.  iv.  14.)  As  a  proof  tha 
these  were  not  the  expressions  of  the  Apostle's  personal  passion 
we  refer  to  his  affectionate  advocacy  in  behalf  of  the  Corinthiai 
evil-doer,  after  he  had  heard  of  his  improvement,  (2  Cor.  ii.)  an< 
to  his  saying  concerning  the  very  persons  who  had  deserted  hir 
during  his  defence  at  the  tribunal,  immediately  after  the  threaten 
ing  statement  about  Alexander,  "May  it  not  be  laid  to  thei 
charge."  (2  Tim.  iv.  16.)  The  Lord  said  to  his  two  disciples 
who  (it  seems  not  from  personal  passion  but  from  pure  love  t 
their  Master)  desired  fire  to  descend  from  heaven,  and  to  consum 
the  Samaritans  "as  Elias  did:"  "Know  ye  not  what  manner  c 
spirit  ye  are  of?"  (Luke  ix.  55.)  They  said  it  from  love  to  Christ 
but  are  vindictive  feelings  for  the  sake  of  others  impossible  ?  I 
does  not  follow  that  their  anger  was  pure,  because  it  arose  in  behal 
of  another.  The  "ye"  occurs  in  the  original  in  a  position  whicl 
emphasises  and  places  it  in  antithesis  to  "Elias."  It  would  thei 
appear  that  our  Lord  declared  the  inferiority  of  the  legal  positioi 
of  the  Old  Testament,  not  because  the  desire  of  retribution  ough 
to  be  excluded  from  the  religion  of  reconciliation,  but  because  i 
ought  not  to  predominate  in  it.  The  question  may  finally  arise 


INTRODUCTION.  45 

Are  we  then  compelled  to  assume  that  the  unhallowed  flame  of 
personal  passion  did  in  no  case  blend  with  the  holy  fire  of  the 
Psalmists  ?  We  cannot  even  say  this  of  the  Apostles.  (Acts  xv.  29 ; 
xxiii.  3;  Phil.  iii.  2;  Gal.  v.  2.)  Whether  the  anger  of  impas- 
sioned speech  be  such  "  which  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of 
God,"  (James  i.  20,)  or  such  as  was  felt  by  Christ  (Mark  iii.  2) 
himself,  may  generally  be  gathered  from  its  nature,  when  delight 
transpires  at  the  thought  of  being  permitted  to  be  the  instrument 
of  Divine  retribution,  when  specific  kinds  of  retribution  are  prayed 
for  with  evident  satisfaction,  or  when  the  thought  of  retribution  is 
regarded  with  complacency  by  the  speaker,  etc.  Several  expressions 
in  Psalms  cix.  and  lix.  bear  the  stamp  of  passion :  so  do  Psalms 
cxlix.  7,  8;  cxxxvii.  8,  9;  Iviii.  11; — xli.  11,  may  have  flowed 
from  such  a  disposition.  Different  individuals  will  hold  different 
views  on  other  psalms.  The  vindictive  psalms  respecting  the 
heathen,  as  e.g.  Psalm  Ixxix.  6,  "Pour  out  thy  wrath  upon  the 
heathen  that  have  not  known  thee;  and  upon  the  kingdoms  that 
have  not  called  upon  thy  name/'  suggest  particular  considerations. 
The  victory  of  the  heathen  over  Israel  threatened  indeed  the 
destruction  of  true  religion.  Read  the  impassioned  description  of 
the  Chaldean  conquest  of  the  country  (Psalm  Ixxiv.) :  the  heathen 
triumphantly  asked,  "Where  is  now  their  God?"  (Ps.  Ixxix.  10;) 
while  on  the  other  hand  at  the  victories  of  Israel  the  sanctuary  at 
Jerusalem  was  honoured  with  gifts  of  foreign  nations,  the  power  of 
the  God  of  Israel  acknowledged,  and  Messianic  hopes  awakened. 
(Com.  ad.  Psalm  Ixxvi.  Ixxxvii.)  Besides  all  this,  it  should  be 
observed  that  hatred  against  a  nation  as  a  whole  excludes  not 
kindly  sympathy  towards  individuals,  as  shown  by  the  more  noble 
custom  of  war  at  all  times,  in  even  religious  wars,  such  as  the 
Crusades.  An  instance  of  this  kind  occurs  in  2  Kings  vi.  22. 
From  this  point  of  view  even  Lessing  once  advocated  the  so-called 
vindictive  Psalms.* 

*  During  Lessing's  residence  at  Hamburg,  a  violent  attack  was  made 
upon  the  Rev.  Mr.  Goetge,  who  resisted  a  proposition  to  cancel  from  the 
fast-day  prayer  the  words,  "Pour  out  thy  wrath  upon  the  heathen  that 
have  not  known  thee,  and  upon  the  kingdoms  that  have  not  called  upon 
thy  name."  Lessing,  who  from  a  predilection  for  the  stage  had  forsaken 
the  pulpit,  composed  just  then  a  sermon — a  sermon!  aye,  and  on  the  very 
text,  Psalm  Ixxix.  6,  after  the  manner  of  Sterne,  entitled,  Sermon  from 
two  texts,  Psalm  Ixxix.  6,  "Pour  out,"  etc.  and  Matt.  xxii.  39,  "Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,"  by  5Torick,  translated  from  the 
English.  He  had  only  a  few  copies  printed,  his  object  being  to  show  to 
the  conceited  modernisers  that  there  were  others  more  clever  than  they, 
and  sent  one  copy  to  their  leader,  the  Rev.  Alberti.  Nicolai  says  that 
Alberti  took  fright,  declaring  that  a  man  like  Lessing  was  not  to  be  trifled 
with,  and  that  he  was  afraid  of  the  effect  of  the  sermon  on  the  public. 
Lessing  suppressed  the  pamphlet  at  his  instance.  The  preface  only  has 
been  preserved;  but  Lessing's  meaning  is  clear.  This  was  the  story: 
"  Colonel  Shandy  and  his  faithful  Trim  went  out  for  a  walk.  They  found 


46  COMMENTARY  ON  THE   PSALMS. 


IV. — The  Future. 

Christianity  neither  refers  to  "  the  beyond"  the  grave,  nor  to 
continuation  after  death.  Christian  hope,  i.  e.  faith  applied  to  the 
future,  has  for  its  object  the  completion  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  of 
which  it  may  be  said  with  equal  truth  that  it  has  come  and  has  not 
yet  come.  Its  completion  will  be  threefold.  At  its  completion  all 
who  are  ordained  to  it  shall  be  received  into  it,  so  that  the  body  of 
Christ  shall  be  complete :  the  dominion  of  God  in  the  heart  of 
individuals  shall  be  complete,  and  the  power  of  sin  cancelled :  the 
outward  shall  correspond  to  the  inward,  for  the  outward  should  be 
the  display  or  manifestation  of  the  inward,  which  would  imply  the 
cessation  of  discord  and  evil.  The  Messianic  psalms  contemplate 
this  latter  object,  and  as  the  kingdom  of  God  cannot  be  said  to 
have  absolutely  come  before  the  end  of  time,  so  cannot  those  pro- 
phecies be  said  to  have  met  their  proper  fulfilment  before  then. 
The  departing  Christian  therefore  is  not  to  expect  perfect  bliss 
immediately  after  death,  but  in  the  future  at  the  end  of  the  pre- 
sent dispensation.  In  so  far,  however,  as  Christ  has  already 
effected  his  communion  with  God  this  side  the  grave,  there  is  in 
store  for  him,  if  not  complete,  at  all  events  some  kind  of  bliss 
immediately  after  death.  A  certain  degree  of  bliss  after  death 
must  therefore  be  assumed  in  the  case  of  the  Old  Testament  saints, 
who  enjoyed  communion  with  God  here  below,  though  certainly 
less  complete  than  theirs  whose  communion  with  God  was  effected 
by  Christ.  On  that  account  the  ancient  Church  used  to  represent 
the  condition  of  the  Old  Testament  saints  beyond  the  grave  as  a 
twilight,  limbus  patrum,  in  which  they  were  waiting  for  Christ,  as 
it  is  said  of  Abraham,  that  he  rejoiced  to  see  the  day  of  Christ. 
Their  fear  of  death,  as  expressed  in  several  psalms,  but  most 

on  the  road  a  starved  man  in  a  ragged  French  uniform,  sustaining  himself 
on  a  crutch,  because  he  had  one  foot  maimed.  With  his  eye  silently  bent 
to  the  ground,  he  took  off  his  hat;  but  his  melancholic  look  spoke  for  him. 
The  colonel  gave  him  several  shillings  without  counting  them.  Trim 
pulled  a  penny  from  his  pocket,  and  presenting  it,  said,  Trench  dog.' 
The  colonel  kept  silence  for  some  seconds,  and  then  said,  turning  to  Trim, 
'Trim,  he  is  a  man,  and  not  a  dog.'  The  French  invalid  had  followed 
them.  In  answer  to  the  colonel's  speech,  Trim  gave  him  another  penny, 
and  again  said,  *  French  Dog.'  'And  Trim,  he  is  a  soldier.'  Trim  stared, 
gave  another  penny,  and  said,  *  French  dog.'  'And  Trim,  he  has  fought 
for  his  country,  and  been  severely  wounded.'  Trim  pressed  his  hand, 
giving  another  penny,  and  said,  *  French  dog.'  'And  Trim,  this  soldier  is 
a  good  and  unhappy  husband,  has  a  wife  and  four  uneducated  children.' 
Trim,  with  a  tear  in  his  eye,  gave  all  he  had  left  in  his  pocket,  and  said, 
though  in  a  low  voice,  'French  dog.'  On  reaching  home  he  conferred  on 
this  topic  with  Yorick.  Yorick  said,  'It  is  evident  Trim  hates  the  whole 
nation  which  is  hostile  to  his  country,  but  he  knows  how  to  love  each  indi- 
vidual of  it  when  he  is  worthy  of  his  love.'  This  gave  occasion  to  Yorick's 
preaching  the  following  sermon." 


INTRODUCTION.  47 

strongly  in  Psalm  Ixxxviii.  ought  therefore  not  to  startle  us.  A 
pious  Israelite  could  realize  full  joy  only  in  view  of  that  ultimate 
future,  when  the  great  festival  of  joy  is  to  take  place  on  Mount 
Zion,  and  all  the  dead  are  to  march  forth  from  their  silent  cham- 
ber. (Isaiah  xxv.  6;  xxvi.  19.)  The  account  which  we  possess  of 
Enoch  (Gen.  v.  24,)  shows  at  how  early  a  period  the  opinion  pre- 
vailed that  death  could  not  interrupt  that  communion  with  God 
which  the  godly  enjoyed  with  him  on  earth.  Our  Lord's  argu- 
ment for  immortality,  in  reply  to  the  tempting  question  of  the 
Sadducees,  which  he  cited  from  the  Pentateuch,  (Matt.  xxii.  32; 
Luke  xx.  37,  38,)  alludes  profoundly  to  the  connection  subsisting 
between  earthly  communion  with  God  and  future  blessedness.  (Cf. 
Heb.  xi.  16.)  If  the  Eternal  (such  is  our  Saviour's  meaning)  has 
entered  into  so  close  a  communion  with  man,  that  he  calls  himself 
his  God,  how  can  such  a  relation  be  only  of  a  temporal  and  transi- 
tory nature?  We  ask  further,  Why  should  man,  enjoying  inti- 
mate communion  with  God,  not  be  sensible  of  the  eternity  of  his 
relation  to  him  ?  Since  Christ  refers  to  "  eternal  life"  as  begin- 
ning on  earth,  and  attaining  to  perfection  beyond  the  grave,  may 
not  the  Old  Testament  saints,  at  times  of  their  most  intimate  com- 
munion with  God,  have  equally  possessed  the  presentiment,  nay, 
the  certainty  of  its  eternity?  Is  it  likely  that  the  man  who,  while 
the  subject  of  continuous  tribulation  and  intense  agony  of  soul, 
could  exclaim,  "This  I  know,  God  is  mine!"  (Psalm  Ivi.  10.  See 
also  Psalmjxxiii.  25^  26,)  should  believe  that  all  would  be  over  A 
with  death?  If  a  Psalmist  derives  consolation  from  " dwelling  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever/'  and  says  of  the  pious  that  "  like 
a  green  olive  tree  they  abide  in  the  house  of  God,  and  trust  in 
the  mercy  of  God,  for  ever  and  ever,"  (Psalm  Hi.  10,  11,)  and  if, 
as  is  shown  in  the  commentary  on  the  respective  passages,  the 
abiding  in  the  house  of  God  designates  "  indissolubility  of  commu- 
nion with  God"  is  it  not  clear  that  the  pledge  of  the  Spirit 
wrought  a  confidence  in  the  mind  of  the  Psalmists  extending 
beyond  the  grave?  Taking  such  prophetic  moments  for  granted, 
may  we  not  equally  assume,  that  sentiments  embodying  in  a  gene- 
ral way  thoughts  like  this,  "  Continue  upright,  for  the  end  of  that 
man  is  peace,  but  the  transgressors  shall  be  destroyed  altogether," 
and  similar  ones  expressing  God's  unfailing  judgment  of  the 
impious,  gave  rise  to  presentiments  extending  beyond  the  grave  ? 
The  expressions  of  such  hopes  are,  however,  met  with  ;  their  some- 
what scanty  occurrence  may  be  sufficiently  explained  on  the 
assumption,  that  the  dawning  of  such  hopes  was  linked  to  the 
holiest  moments  of  their  spiritual  life.  We  may  quote  Psalm 
xlviii.  15,  "  Yea,  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever,  he  will 
guide  us  beyond  death."  (Psalm  Ixviii.  21  is  held  in  more  general 
terms.)  Still  more  explicit  are  Psalms  Ixix.  16;  xvi.  8 — 11;  xvii. 
14,  15;  Ixxiii.  23,  24.  The  strong  distinction  which  these  pas- 


48  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

sages  draw  between  the  worldly-minded  who  have  their  consolation 
in  this  world,  and  the  children  of  God,  renders  any  other  interpre- 
tation inadmissible.  It  is  truly  remarkable  that  just  these  Psalms, 
more  than  any  others,  express  the  utmost  sense  of  oneness  with 
and  happiness  in  God. 

V.—The  Messiah. 

The  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  have  predicted  a  time,  when 
Israel  covered  with  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication  (Zech.  xii. 
10,)  should  become  a  righteous  people  and  inherit  the  land  foi 
ever,  (Isaiah  Ix.  21,)  when  the  old  covenant  to  the  observance  oi 
which  they  had  to  be  coerced  should  cease,  and  the  law  be  written 
in  their  hearts,  (Jeremiah  xxxL  31 — 33,)  when  all  nations  of 
the  earth  should  now  to  Zion,  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
serve  him  with  one  consent.  (Isaiah  ii;  Zeph.  iii.  9.)  David,  the 
servant  of  God,  should  be  raised,  in  the  person  of  an  offspring  of 
David,  who  in  the  capacity  of  the  good  shepherd  should  feed  the 
people  of  God;  a  covenant  of  peace  should  be  made  with  universal 
nature,  which  ceasing  to  be  hurtful  to  man,  should  thenceforth 
minister  to  his  comfort.  (Ezekiel  xxxiv.  23 — 31)  "  It  would  be 
inexplicable,"  says  a  modern  commentator,  (Ko3ster,  ad.  Psalm 
Ixxii.  p.  113,)  "  were  the  Psalms  to  contain  no  reference  to  an 
idea  of  such  paramount  importance  to  the  Jewish  religion  as  that 
of  the  Messiah."  Since  the  Psalms  as  lyrical  poems  express  those 
religious  sentiments  which  the  faith  of  the  people,  taught  by  the 
law  and  the  prophets,  was  calculated  to  inspire,  it  would  indeed 
be  strange,  if  the  prophetic  article  of  faith  of  the  Messiah  were 
absent  from  their  prayers.  The  more  so,  as  we  know  from  David's 
last  song  (which  is  preserved  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.)  that  Messianic 
hopes  animated  his  soul  and  entered  into  his  poems.  We  insert 
that  passage,  because  important  to  our  estimate  and  understanding 
of  the  Messianic  prophecies  of  David  :* 

"  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  said, 
"The  man  raised  up  on  high  said, 
"  The  anointed  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
"And  the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel: 
"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  spake  by  me, 
"And  his  word  was  in  my  tongue, 

*  Luther's  Translation,  esp.  of  v.  3.  misleads:  so  do  the  Vulg.  Syr.  and 
LXX.  The  Chaldee  paraphrase  inserts  the  Messiah,  but  forcibly.  We  agree 
in  the  main  with  Tremellius,  de  Wette,  F.  of  Meyer,  cf.  also  the  Engl.  ver- 
siom  On  translating  with  Ewald  (The  Pract.  Books  of  the  Old  Testament, 
vol.  i.  p.  100,)  "When  one  is  ruling  justly  over  men,  when  one  is  ruling 
in  the  fear  of  God,  it  is  as  when  it  grows  light  of  a  morning,"  the  possi- 
bility of  a  Messianic  allusion  is  certainly  avoided,  but  v.  5  shows  also  this 
rendering  to  be  equally  inadmissible. 


INTRODUCTION.  49 

"The  God  of  Israel  said, 

"  The  Rock  of  Israel  spake  to  me : 

"  A  ruler  over  men  in  righteousness, 

(t  A  ruler  in  the  fear  of  God. 

"As  the  sun  riseth  at  the  light  of  the  morning, 

"Even  on  a  morning  without  clouds, 

"As  the  tender  grass  springing  out  of  the  earth 

"By  clear  shining  after  rain. 

"Although  my  house  be  not  so  with  God: 

"  Yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant 

"  Ordered  in  all  things  and  sure, 

"For  all  my  salvation  and  all  my  desire,  doth  not 

"He  make  it  to  grow? 

' '  But  the  ungodly  shall  be  all  of  them  as  thorns  thrust  away, 
"Because  they  cannot  be  taken  with  hands, 
"But  the  man  that  shall  touch  them 
"Must  be  fenced  with  iron  and  the  staff  of  a  spear, 
"And  they  shall  be  utterly  burned  with  fire  on  the  spot." 

We  gather  in  the  first  place  from  this  passage  that  David  felt  him- 
self conscious  of  being  Divinely  inspired,  especially  when  speaking 
of  the  Messiah.  Our  Lord  confirms  this  (Matt.  xxii.  43,)  with 
reference  to  Psalm  ex.  The  Psalmists  are  also  elsewhere  conscious 
of  Divine  influence.  (Psalm  xlix.  5;  xii.  6.)  We  gather,  again, 
that  the  fundamental  prophecy  in  2  Sam.  vii.  12 — 16,  became  in 
his  prophetic  moments  more  distinctly  developed  to  him.  On  his 
first  hearing  it,  he  was  greatly  affected  by  the  thought  of  the  per- 
petuity of  regal  dignity  among  his  offspring.  "Who  am  I,  0  Lord 
God?  and  what  is  my  house,  that  thou  hast  brought  me  hitherto?" 
he  exclaims  with  touching  humility,  "and  this  was  yet  a  small 
thing  in  thy  sight,  0  Lord  God:  but  thou  hast  spoken  also  of 
thy  servant's  house  for  a  great  while  to  come,  and  is  this  the 
manner  of  man,  0  Lord  God?"*  No  other  and  no  loftier  thought 
than  that  of  a  perpetual  progeny  on  the  throne  of  his  kingdom  did 
probably  then  enter  his  mind :  in  Psalm  Ixxxix.  30.  37,  the  pro- 
mise is  similarly  understood,  and  in  Psalm  xviii.  50,  he  praises 
God,  "who  showeth  mercy  to  David,  His  anointed,  and  to  his  seed 
for  evermore."  Those,  however,  who  consult  history,  and  believe 
in  a  connection  of  revelation  between  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
as  well  as  in  the  gift  of  prophecy,  are  sensible  that  in  those  words 
the  Spirit  of  God  referred  to  Him  in  whom  the  promise  became 
fulfilled.  (Luke  i.  32,  33.)  This  view  may  be  held,  though  the 
main  essence  of  the  prophecies  made  to  him  should  have  been  con- 
cealed from  David  during  his  lifetime,  as  e.  g.  Peter  may  never 

*  According  to  1  Chron.  xvii.  17,  "And  hast  regarded  me  according  to 
the  estate  of  a  man  of  high  degree." 
5 


50  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

until  the  last  moments  of  his  existence  have  understood  the  mean- 
ing of  our  Lord's  prophecy  concerning  his  end.  (John  xxi.  18.) 
The  Prophets  did  certainly  apprehend  the  more  profound  sense. 
"  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  perform  that 
good  thing  which  I  have  promised  to  the  house  of  Israel  and  to 
the  house  of  Judah.  In  those  days  and  at  that  time,  I  will  cause 
the  branch  of  righteousness  to  grow  up  unto  David :  and  he  shall 
execute  judgment  and  righteousness  in  the  land.  For  thus  saith 
the  Lord :  David  shall  never  want  a  man  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
the  house  of  Israel."  (Jer.  xxxiii.  14,  etc.}  Cf.  what  is  said  Isaiah 
xi.  1,  etc.  of  the  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse.  It  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  prophets  knew  that  the  prediction  should  meet  its  ultimate 
fulfilment  in  the  One  great  descendant  of  David.  But  was  that 
knowledge  hid  from  David  ?  Believing,  as  he  did,  in  the  Messiah, 
in  the  King  of  Zion  as  described  in  Psalms  ii.  and  ex.  to  whom 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  should  obey,  who  should  be  a  priest 
for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  (Ps.  ii.  7;  ex.  4,)  is  it 
likely  that  the  thought  should  never  have  entered  his  mind,  that 
the  eternal  kingdom  of  his  house  had  reference  to  that  descendant  ? 
At  his  departure  from  life,  if  not  earlier,  David  knew  at  least,  that 
the  Messiah  whose  victories  he  had  celebrated  in  Psalms  ii.  and  ex. 
should  spring  from  his  progeny.  In  his  above  quoted  last  pro- 
phecy, he  sees  a  ruler  over  men  in  righteousness  and  in  the  fear 
of  God  from  his  house,  during  whose  reign  an  unclouded  sun  shall 
shine  on  men  and  the  earth  yield  a  rich  increase.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps. 
Ixvii.  7.)  He  says  that  God's  everlasting  covenant  with  him  had 
determined  as  much;*  that  all  ungodly  powers  would  be  compelled 
to  yield  to  the  conquering  might  of  his  house.  These  words  may 
be  regarded  as  exhibiting  the  clear  fundamental  type  of  David's 
Messianic  hopes.  Our  collection  of  Psalms  contains  two  Messianic 
psalms  of  David,  (Psalms  ii.  ex.)  one  of  Solomon,  (Psalm  Ixxii.) 
to  which  must  be  added  Psalm  xlv. 

A  few  observations  on  matter  and  form  are  needed  for  the  cor- 
rect understanding  of  the  Messianic  psalms.  If  we  understand 
the  prophecies  as  predictions  of  the  life  of  Jems  only,  it  will  follow, 
that  only  some  particulars  met  a  literal  fulfilment.  Even  the 
modern  Jews,  searching  for  Messianic  predictions  in  that  sense, 
deem  themselves  entitled  to  the  confident  assertion,  that  the  Old 
Testament  contains  but  few  of  that  kind.  We  ask,  Is  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  to  be  confined  to  the  brief  period  of  not  quite  three  years 
of  his  ministry  on  earth?  It  is  but  the  beginning  of  that  consum- 
mation in  the  future  kingdom  of  glory  to  which  we  have  refer- 

*  To  understand  what  is  said  of  the  ruler  collectively  of  the  whole  house 
of  David  is  equally  admissible.  It  would  even  then  exhibit  a  development 
of  the  prophecy  in  2  Sam.  vii.,  though  David  would  then  not  have  under- 
stood the  full  meaning  of  the  promise. 


INTRODUCTION.  51 

red,  p.  46.  Prophecy  points  to  every  gradation  of  Christ's  existence 
and  the  total  extension  of  his  kingdomj  down  to  its  final  completion. 
(1  Cor.  xv.  28;  xiii.  12;  2  Pet.  iii.;  Rev.  xxi.)  Supposing  this 
to  be  seen  and  granted,  we  have  further  to  consider,  that  prophecy 
refers  to  the  Messiah  and  his  kingdom  in  terms  which  have  neither 
been  fulfilled  during  the  period  of  Christ's  appearance  on  earth, 
nor  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church,  while  they  no  less  answer 
the  expectations  which  we  entertain  of  the  future  kingdom  of  God. 
The  Messiah  is  certainly  described  as  accomplishing  his  earthly 
mission  in  the  character  of  a  prophet  and  teacher  endowed  with 
the  Spirit  of  God,  of  the  servant  of  God,  gentle  and  beneficent, 
despised  by  his  nation  and  enduring  great  sufferings.  (Isaiah 
xlii.  49.  53;  Zech.  ix.  11.)  But  a  far  greater  number  of  passages 
set  him  forth  as  a  valiant  king,  endowed  with  Divine  power,  who 
is  to  subdue  the  heathen  and  to  establish  the  lasting  temporal 
prosperity  of  his  people.  (Ps.  ii.  ex.  Ixxii.;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3,  6,  as 
well  as  Ps.  xlv.  which  is  to  be  regarded  as  Messianic,  use  similar 
terms.)  Here  we  ought  to  distinguish  between  the  fundamental 
ideas  of  such  prophecies  and  the  form  in  which  they  are  expressed. 
When  reference  is  made  to  the  condition  of  the  saved,  they  are 
described  as  sitting  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob,  as 
entering  paradise,  as  being  received  into  everlasting  habitations,  as 
joining  the  Saviour  in  drinking  anew  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  in 
his  Father's  kingdom,  as  being  set  some  over  few,  others  over 
many  cities,  etc.  In  the  Apocalypse,  the  prophetic  book  of  the 
New  Testament,  are  depicted  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  as  coming 
down  upon  the  earth — the  heavenly  marriage  at  which  the  guests 
are  to  be  furnished  with  fine  linen,  clean  and  white — the  river  of 
the  water  of  life,  and  on  its  banks  the  tree  of  life,  yielding  its  fruit 
every  month,  the  leaves  whereof  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations 
— the  temple  of  God  with  the  ark  of  the  testaments,  etc.  (Chaps. 
xxi.  xix.  7,  8;  xi.  19.)  Of  the  condemned  on  the  other  hand  it 
is  said  in  the  Gospels  and  the  Apocalypse,  that  they  shall  be  cast 
into  hell-fire,  that  their  worm  shall  not  die,  that  they  shall  be 
excluded  from  the  marriage  feast,  that  they  shall  be  cast  into  outer 
darkness,  where  is  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  It  has  never 
been  doubted  that  Christians  are  to  grasp  the  fundamental  ideas  of 
such  descriptions,  and  to  regard  the  form  of  their  expression  as 
adaptations  to  our  present  power  of  comprehension.  This  is  clear 
from  the  variety  of  forms  and  figures.  In  some  passages  of  Eeve- 
lations  express  explanations  are  given;  e.  g.  chap.  xix.  8,  "The  fine 
linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints."  The  same  remarks  apply  to 
the  predictions  of  the  prophets  concerning  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Their  prophetic  visions  are  related  to  their  fulfilment  as  are  the 
visions  of  Christ,  the  Apostles,  and  the  Prophets  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, to  the  period  of  the  completion  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Just  as  we  employ  the  most  beautiful  and  significant  conditions  of 


52  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

the  present  as  representations  of  the  future,  so  did  the  prophets 
respecting  the  future  kingdom  of  the  Messiah.  In  the  time  of  the 
Old  Testament  as  well  as  among  Christians,  the  weak  and  sensuous 
can  only  realize  the  suhstance  in  the  symbol,  while  the  more  intel- 
ligent distinguish  between  symbol  and  thought.  Hence  the  Messiah 
is  represented  invested  with  the  three  chief  offices  of  the  Jewish 
theocracy,  as  King,  Priest,  and  Prophet.  It  is  said  in  one  place, 
that  the  nations  shall  show  themselves  willing  to  be  instructed  in 
Mount  Zion,  or  that  knowledge  shall  be  sent  to  them,  and  that 
universal  peace  shall  revisit  the  earth;  in  another,  that  the  Philis- 
tines, Edom  and  Moab,  shall  be  conquered,  and  the  river  of  Egypt 
be  dried  up;  in  a  third  place,  "Egypt  shall  do  sacrifice  and 
oblation.  In  that  day  shall  there  be  a  highway  out  of  Egypt  to 
Assyria,  and  the  Assyrians  shall  come  into  Egypt,  and  the  Egypt- 
ians into  Assyria,  and  the  Egyptians  shall  serve  with  the  Assyrians. 
In  that  day  shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and  with  Assyria, 
even  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  land;  whom  the  Lord  of  Hosts 
shall  bless,  saying,  Blessed  be  Egypt  my  people,  and  Assyria  the 
work  of  my  hands,  and  Israel  mine  inheritance."  (Isaiah  ii.  xlii. 
1—6;  Ix.  11;  ix.  6,  7;  xi.  14,  15;  xix.  23—25.) 

The  conversion  of  the  heathen  is  sometimes  spoken  of  in 
terms  which  almost  make  one  think  that  they  were  all  to  become 
Jews,  (Isaiah  xix.  21;  Ixvi.  20;  Zech.  xiv.  16,)  while  the  same 
passages  contain  expressions  which  point  to  the  abrogation  of  the 
ceremonial  law.  (Isaiah  xix.  19;  Ixvi.  21;  Zech.  xiv.  20,  21.)  In 
one  place  the  wild  beasts  are  represented  as  tame,  in  another,  that 
God  will  destroy  them:  that  the  sun  ahall  no  more  go  down;  and 
again,  that  God  shall  be  their  sun.  (Isaiah  xi.  6;  Ixv.  25;  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  25;  Isaiah  Ix.  20.)  The  variety  of  these  figures  shows  that 
we  can  only  retain  the  general  thoughts  which  they  embody.  Just 
where  everything  seems  to  point  to  a  narrow  and  Jewish  horizon, 
some  expression  or  other  occurs  which  plainly  indicates  that  all 
cannot  be  taken  in  a  literal  sense.  Joel  e.  g.  chap.  iii.  had  spoken 
of  the  judgment  of  God  upon  the  heathen,  after  which  Jerusalem 
should  become  holy  and  no  stranger  pass  through  her  any  more, 
(Joel  iii.  17;)  he  then  says,  "It  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day, 
that  the  mountains  shall  drop  down  new  wine,  and  the  hills  shall 
flow  with  milk,  and  all  the  rivers  of  Judah  shall  flow  with  waters/' 
— all  temporal  allusions — but  immediately  after  we  have,  "and  a 
fountain  shall  come  forth  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  and  shall  water 
the  valley  of  Shittim."  Here  we  are  all  of  a  sudden  on  spiritual 
territory,  for  Shittim  is  a  place  on  the  plains  of  the  Moabites, 
where  the  Israelites  encamped  when  they  contemplated  their  inva- 
sion of  Canaan,  so  that  the  meaning  is,  "The  spiritual  water  of 
life  shall  spread  from  the  centre  of  the  land  to  its  frontiers." 
Similar  is  the  passage  in  Ezek.  xlvii.  etc.  "Waters  issued  out  from 
under  the  threshold  of  the  house,  which  being  brought  forth  into 


INTRODUCTION.  53 

the  sea,  the  waters  shall  be  healed,  on  the  banks  whereof  trees  shall 
grow,  that  shall  bring  forth  new  fruits  every  month,  because  their 
waters  they  issued  out  of  the  sanctuary"  Here  is  another  instance. 
After  the  prophecy  of  the  new  covenant,  by  which  the  law  should 
be  written  on  the  hearts  of  men,  we  have  in  Jer.  xxxi.  38,  etc.  the 
following  passage,  which  seems  to  proclaim  the  mere  outward 
enlargement  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem:  "Behold  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord,  that  the  city  shall  be  built  to  the  Lord  from  the 
tower  of  Hananeel  unto  the  gate  of  the  corner.  And  the  measur- 
ing line  shall  yet  go  forth  over  against  it  upon  the  hill  Gareb,  and 
shall  compass  about  to  Goath.  And  the  whole  valley  of  the  dead 
bodies  and  of  the  ashes,  and  all  the  fields  unto  the  brook  of  Kidron, 
unto  the  corner  of  the  horse-gate  towards  the  east,  shall  be  holy 
unto  the  Lord."  The  sublime  meaning  of  this  prophetic  utterance 
is  the  sanctification  of  everything  unclean  and  unholy  at  Jerusalem. 
The  hill  of  Gareb  was  the  abode  of  lepers,  and  the  valley  of  the 
dead  bodies  and  of  the  ashes,  the  unclean  valley  of  Hinnom,  where 
the  corpses  of  malefactors  used  to  be  burnt.  The  prophet's  mean- 
ing is,  "Every  unclean  spot  shall  then  be  included  into  the  sanctu- 
ary/'* 

But  to  return  to  the  Messianic  Psalms.  The  preceding  remarks 
are  equally  applicable  to  them.  They  depict  the  Messiah  as  a  king 
appointed  of  God;  as  swaying  the  sceptre  of  righteousness,  under 
whose  reign  God  will  lavish  all  his  blessings  on  the  people;  as 
causing  rebels  to  feel  the  edge  of  his  sword,  but  as  blessing  the 
obedient.  But  what  of  the  fulfilment  of  these  predictions  ?  In 
part  it  has  already  taken  place,  though  it  will  be  more  completely 
realized  in  Christ's  blissful  dominion  over  his  Church,  and  his  judg- 
ments by  which  he  will  eventually  triumph  over  all  opposing  powers 
(Cf.  ad.  Ps.  ii.)  Psalm  xlv.  is  peculiar  in  its  kind,  since  it  alle- 
gorically  represents  the  admission  of  Israel  and  the  heathen  into 
Messiah's  kingdom  by  the  figure  of  a  marriage.f 

*  Vide  for  more  proof,  Hengstenb erg's  Christol.  vol  iii. 

f  Cf.  the  interpretation  of  that  psalm.  It  has  been  repeatedly  shown 
that  both  love  and  marriage  songs  are  found  among  the  Hindoos,  the  Ara- 
bians, and  Persians,  which,  though  without  any  allusions  to  a  spiritual 
meaning,  celebrate  the  soul's  relation  to  God.  This  has  been  done  for  the 
purpose  of  supporting  the  view  which  attributes  to  the  Song  of  Solomon  a 
mystical  allusion  to  the  relation  of  God  to  Israel.  We  have  recently 
received  some  interesting  contributions  in  this  respect  by  Lane,  who  cites 
(vol.  ii.  p.  194,)  the  following  lines  extracted  from  a  song  used  by  Moham- 
medan monks  at  their  religious  solemnities:  "The  image  of  thy  form  vis- 
ited me  in  my  sleep.  I  said,  Oh,  vision,  who  has  sent  thee?  He  said,  I  am 
sent  by  him  whom  thou  knowest,  whose  love  captivated  thee.  The  loved 
of  my  heart  visited  me  in  the  obscurity  of  night.  I  rose,  to  honour  him, 
till  he  sat  down.  I  said,  Oh,  thou  my  desire,  and  all  my  delight,  art  thou 
come  at  noon  of  night,  and  wert  not  afraid  of  the  watchmen?  He  said,.  I 
feared  them,  but  love  has  taken  my  soul  and  my  breath."  Lane  compares 
5* 


54  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

In  conjunction  with  these  royal  psalms  we  have  another  kind 
of  Messianic  psalms,  which  we  may  designate  as  psalms  of  the 
kingdom.  As  some  portions  of  the  prophets  celebrate  the  Mes- 
sianic kingdom,  without  making  mention  of  its  head,  the  Messiah, 
so  also  several  psalms,  vide  Psalms  xlvii.  Ixvii.  Ixviii.  Ixxvi.  xcvi. 
xcvii.  xcviii.  Some  of  them  indicate  that  great  victories  of  Israel 
over  neighbouring  nations,  in  consequence  of  which  even  the 
heathen  had  to  acknowledge  the  majesty  of  the  God  of  Israel,  and 
probably  to  send  gifts  to  Jerusalem,  gave  rise  to  the  hope,  that  all 
nations  would  gloriously  join  Israel,  and  all  the  princes  and 
nations  of  the  earth  hereafter  worship  the  God  of  Abraham.  Vide 
esp.  Psalm  xlvii. 

The  Psalms  contain  yet  another  class  of  predictions,  viz.  the 
typical  or  prefigurative,  as  e.  g.  Psalms  xvi.  xxii.  xl.  Ixix.  As 
some  of  their  expressions  are  said  in  the  New  Testament  to  have 
met  their  fulfilment  in  Christ,  there  have  been  from  the  earliest 
times  many  commentators  who  thought  that  the  Psalmist  had, 
while  composing  them,  a  lively  representation  of  the  Messiah,  and 
as  it  were,  composed  them  in  His  soul.*  This  is  a  very  strange 
notion,  for  it  is  nowhere  hinted  that  the  Psalmist  did  ever  com- 
pose a  psalm  in  the  mind  of  another,  and  not  in  his  own.  Add 
to  this  that  the  character  of  these  psalms  in  no  way  differs  from 
those  which  David  and  others  composed  under  personal  affliction. 
Hence  some  of  the  psalms  of  complaint,  passages  from  which  are 
in  the  New  Testament  applied  to  Christ,  have  not  without  caprice 
been  designated  as  Messianic,  and  others  because  they  do  not 
occur  in  the  New  Testament  as  Davidic.  Why  should  Psalm  Ixix. 
be  referred  to  the  Messiah,  and  why  not  Psalm  xxviii.  xxxv.  Ixiv. 
Ixxxvi.  etc.  f  Indeed,  one  of  the  psalms,  the  expressions  of  which 
were  appropriated  by  the  Redeemer  himself,  (viz.  Psalm  xxxi.  6,) 
has  not  been  included  in  the  list  of  Messianic  Psalms.f  Many 
minds  have  been  led  astray  by  the  notion,  that  all  the  passages  of 
the  Old  Testament  which  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  have  described 
as  fulfilled  in  the  New  Testament  history  apply  to  it  exclusively. 
The  very  opposite,  however,  appears  from  citations  such  as  Matt, 
ii.  15.  18;  xiii.  14;  John  vi.  45;  1  Cor.  ix.  10,  etc.\  John  v.  46, 

it  to  Song  of  Solomon  iii.  2 — 7.  He  remarks,  however,  that  six  of  these 
verses  find  place  in  a  common  worldly  love  song  which  occurs  in  an  edition 
of  the  ''Thousand  and  one  Nights,"  Calcutta,  vol.  i.  p.  425,  showing  that 
such  songs  occasionally  are  void  of  every  mark  from  which  their  spiritual 
sense  could  be  inferred. 

*  Among  the  moderns,  Seiler,  (Prophecy  and  its  fulfilment,  1794, 
p.  188,)  Muentinghe,  Hensler,  Dereser,  Pareau,  Kaiser,  Hengstenberg, 
(Christol.  vol.  i.  but  differently  in  his  Comm.  on  the  Psalms.) 

f  Augustine,  A.  H.  Francke,  Brenz,  Calov,  H.  Michaelis,  etc.,  however, 
regard  also  this  Psalm  as  Messianic. 

t  Cf.  my  work,  "The  Old  Testament  in  the  New  Testament."  Second 
Edition,  1839. 


INTRODUCTION.  55 

our  Lord  appeals  to  the  fact,  that  Moses  prophesied  concerning 
him.  Only  the  five  following  passages  in  the  Pentateuch  have 
from  the  earliest  times  been  regarded  as  predictions  of  Christ, 
Gen.  iii.  15.  [iv.  1.]  xii.  3;  xlix.  10;  Numb.  xxiv.  17;  Deut. 
xviii.  18.  Did  Christ  refer  to  these  only  ?  Certainly  not.  His 
manner  of  showing  (John  iii.  14)  that  the  idea  of  his  atonement 
was  already  expressed  in  the  Old  Testament,  indicates  that  he  no 
doubt  desired  us  to  regard  the  entire  sacrificial  institutions  as  well  as 
other  phenomena  of  the  Old  Testament,  e.  g.  the  history  of  men 
like  David,  as  typical  and  pre-indicative  of  what  should  be  com- 
pletely fulfilled  by  him.  It  is  said  (Matt.  v.  18)  that  every  tittle 
of  the  law  must  be  fulfilled ;  would  not  this  imply  a  fulfilment  in 
the  sense  just  indicated?  We  maintain  that  Christ  and  his  apos- 
tles quoted  the  Psalms  as  predictions  of  New  Testament  events  in 
the  last  sense.  Every  pious  man  under  the  ancient  economy,  who 
suffered  for  God's  cause,  but  triumphed  at  last,  was  a  type  of  what 
should  be  completely  fulfilled  in  Christ :  hence  it  is  said  (1  Peter 
i.  11)  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  the  prophets  foretold  them  the 
sufferings  of  Christ.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  so  stirred  the  minds  of 
the  prophets  that  they  could  anticipatively  speak  of  him.  Some 
of  the  typical  psalms,  as  will  appear  in  the  Commentary,  are  really 
of  such  a  character  that  without  assuming  the  Psalmists  to  have 
soared  beyond  their  usual  religious  consciousness,  they  defy  every 
attempt  at  explanation.  E.  g.  Psalm  xxii.  in  which  after  the  hard- 
est struggles  and  most  lacerating  complaints,  the  Psalmist  is  filled 
with  so  irresistible  a  sense  of  confident  victory,  that  he  ventures 
to  describe  the  conversion  of  the  whole  world  as  the  consequence  of 
his  struggles  and  victories.  In  Psalm  xvi.  he  expresses  himself  in 
such  confident  and  clear  terms  respecting  his  future  hope,  which 
can  only  be  expected  in  a  disciple  of  the  New  Testament.  A  large 
portion  of  commentators  have  from  the  earliest  times  held,  that 
the  fulfilment  of  a  psalm  in  Christ  does  by  no  means  imply  its 
exclusive  application  to  Christ,  but  is  based  upon  the  typical 
character  of  the  Old  Testament.  Bishop  Theodoret  observes  in 
the  fifth  century,  ad.  Ps.  lix.,  that  it  strictly  refers  to  the  affliction 
of  the  exiled  Jews,  but  typically  to  the  Redeemer  and  the  afflic- 
tion which  his  rejection  would  bring  upon  the  nation :  the  vener- 
able Bede,  the  oracle  of  the  eighth  century,  refers  it  as  properly 
applicable  to  the  times  of  the  Maccabees.  Theodoret  explains 
Psalm  xl.  which  (Heb.  x.  5 — 9)  is  applied  to  Christ,  primarily  of 
David,  secondarily  of  Christ.  Ambrose,  Augustine,  and  Athana- 
sius  have,  on  the  other  hand,  explained  these  two  psalms  as  if  they 
spoke  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  his  Church  only.  This  double 
manner  of  interpretation  occurs  also  among  the  commentators  of 
the  later  Roman  Catholic  Church.  One  of  their  most  eminent 
men,  the  learned  Benedictine  Calmet,  at  the  beginning  of  the 


66  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

eighteen  century,  maintains*  (ad.  Ps.  xl.  and  Ixix.)  that  David 
appears  as  the  type  of  Christ,  and  that  several  passages  in  Ps.  xxii. 
and  most  in  Ps.  xvi.  treat  of  David. 

The  typical  interpretation  of  the  Psalms  in  which  the  singer 
speaks  in  the  first  person,  became  general  in  the  Reformed  Church. 
Even  Calvin,  Bucerus,  Beza,  Musculus,  Rivet,  adopt  it  clearly  and 
confidently.  According  to  Luther* s  view,  however,  David  speaks 
in  those  passages  in  the  person  of  Christ,  so  that  we  have  really 
the  words  of  Christ:  this  view  has  generally  been  adopted  by 
Lutheran  divines,  e.  g.  Bugenhagen,  Brenz,  Calov,  A.  H.  Fran  eke, 
Gteier,  etc.  Melanchthon  already  deviates  from  it  and  says,  (ad. 
Ps.  xxii.  xli.)  that  David  recounts  his  own  sufferings  and  deliver- 
ances, though  with  the  consciousness  of  their  being  types  of  the 
sufferings  and  deliverances  of  the  Messiah.  Other  psalms  which 
Luther  applied  to  Christ  and  his  kingdom,  meet  with  a  different 
explanation  at  the  hands  of  Melanchthon.  Luther  explained  Psalm 
xx.  of  David,  and  Psalm  xxi.  though  connected  with  it,  of  the  Mes- 
siah. The  majority  of  Lutheran  interpreters  followed  him  in  this 
respect;  not  so  Melanchthon,  who  says  that  Psalm  xxi.  as  well  as 
Psalm  xx.  treat  of  one  and  the  same  King.  The  desire  of  collecting 
if  possible  many  predictions  of  Christ,  has  so  far  biased  some  inter- 
preters of  the  Psalms,  that  they  dispute  the  validity  of  the  titles. 
In  spite  of  the  title  of  Psalm  iii.  which  states  that  it  was  composed 
when  David  fled  from  Absalom  his  son,  Augustine  explains  it  of 
Christ  and  his  enemies:  so  also  Cocceius,  A.  H.  Francke,  etc. 
Now,  does  it  not  imply  distrust  in  the  mighty  and  sure  evidences 
of  Christian  truth,  if  in  defiance  of  undeniable  facts,  we  obstinately 
insist  upon  some  less  important  piece  of  evidence  ?  Besides,  we 
should  bear  in  mind,  that  we  are  not  to  consider  the  Psalter, 
though  containing  several  prophetic  songs,  as  a  prophetical  book, 
but  that  as  far  as  it  concerns  the  predictions  respecting  Christ 
and  his  kingdom,  we  are  chiefly  referred  to  the  writings  of  the 
prophets. 

*  Commentarius  literalis  in  Omnes  libros  Vet  et  Novi  Test.  vol.  iv. 


COMMENTARY. 


PSALM  L 

A  DIDACTIC  psalm,  for  its  contents'  sake  (which  resemble  Psalm 
cxii.)  designedly  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  book.  It  expresses 
in  noble  yet  simple  language  the  gospel  truth,  that  "  godliness  is 
profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is, 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  (1  Tim.  iv.  8.)  Popular  wisdom, 
viz.  the  daily  experience  of  life  compressed  into  proverbs,  is  in 
perfect  agreement  with  that  proposition;  e.g.  "Honesty  is  the 
best  policy."  "  Ill-gotten  gains  don't  prosper,"  "  Lightly  come, 
lightly  go,"  etc.  Particular  exceptions  to  such  expressions  will  of 
course  occur  on  earth,  the  land  of  faith,  but  an  attentive  observer 
cannot  help  noticing  their  truth  in  the  aggregate. 

The  confirmation  of  the  doctrine  of  this  psalm  which  Divine  jus- 
tice has  provided  in  the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation,  appeals 
strongly  to  the  conscience  of  believers.  It  promises  blessings  and 
salvation  to  the  kings  of  Israel  who  fear  the  Lord,  visitation  and 
multiform  punishment  to  those  who  forsake  him :  Israel  a  flourish- 
ing kingdom  among  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  with  a  king  and 
the  sanctuary,  before  the  advent  of  the  Messiah — without  kings 
and  priests,  a  proverb  and  a  byeword  among  men,  (Deut.  xxviii. 
37,)  after  their  rejection  of  him.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  Intro- 
duction how  the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament  used  to  reconcile  par- 
ticular exceptions  to  this  rule  with  their  faith  in  the  mundane  gov- 
ernment of  a  righteous  God,  such  as  the  spectacle  of  crushed  inno- 
cence contrasted  with  the  assurance  of  the  wicked,  or  that  of  the 
want  of  the  godly  contrasted  with  the  abundance  of  the  ungodly. 
We  who  live  under  the  Gospel  dispensation,  and  understand  clearly 
what  they  did  but  darkly  apprehend,  seek  the  ultimate  solution  of 
all  mysteries  in  the  final  judgment,  which  is  to  complete  all  the 
judgments  of  earth;  and  as  we  now  admire  the  long-suffering  and 
goodness  of  God  by  which  he  intends  to  lead  the  rebellious  to 
repentance,  (Rom.  ii.  4,)  so  shall  we  then  tremble  at  the  justice 

57 


COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

with  which  he  will  judge  the  obdurate.  Many  passages  of  the 
Old  Testament,  especially  of  the  Psalms,  point,  though  with  less 
clearness,  to  that  final  solution  of  all  mysteries.  So  does  this 
psalm,  as  do  also  Psalms  xxxvii.  xlix.  and  Ixxiii. 

The  Psalmist  contrasts  the  godly  with  the  ungodly  as  two  differ- 
ent generations,  describes  the  difference  of  their  destiny  on  earth, 
(v.  1 — 4,)  and  from  it  infers  with  still  more  assurance  their  ulti- 
mate destinies  at  the  final  judgment  which  is  to  complete  God's 
temporal  judgments,  (v.  5.)  The  last  verse  comprehensively 
repeats  the  doctrine  in  both  respects. 

1  T)LESSED  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel 
JL)     of  the  ungodly, 

Nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful. 

2  But  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  LORD  ; 
And  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night. 

3  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water, 
That  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season ; 

His  leaf  also  shall  not  wither ; 

And  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper. 

4  The  ungodly  are  not  so: 

But  are  like  the  chaff  which  the  wind  driveth  away. 

5  Therefore  the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment, 
Nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 

6  For  the  LORD  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous : 
But  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish. 

V.  1,  2.  The  generation  of  the  righteous  refuse  to  be  deter- 
mined and  controlled  in  their  resolutions  by  the  ungodly;  they 
have  in  their  actions  no  communion  with  sinners,  and  shun  the 
society  of  those  who  keep  not  holy  the  name  of  God.  The  law  of 
God  is  not  only  the  sole  rule  of  conduct,  but  the  delight  of  the 
pious.  The  saints  of  the  Old  Testament,  though  without  the 
" grace  and  truth,"  and  confined  to  "the  law  and  the  shadow  of 
things  to  come/'  for  "  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ/' 
(John  i.  17;  Col.  ii.  17,)  had  so  great  a  delight  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord,  that  they  did  meditate  on  it  day  and  night,  and  were  able  to 
Bay  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Oh,  how  love  I  thy  law !  it  is  my  medita- 
tion all  the  day."  Psalm  cxix.  97.)  True,  the  law  had  expressly 
enjoined  it  upon  them;  and  the  Psalmist  had  no  doubt  clearly 
before  his  mind  the  words  in  Josh.  i.  8:  "This  book  of  the  law 
shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein 
day  and  night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do  according  to  all  that 
is  written  therein ;  for  then  thou  shalt  make  thy  way  prosperous, 


PSALM  I.  59 

and  then  thou  shalt  have  good  success/'  But  the  language  of  the 
Psalms  clearly  shows  that  delight  and  love  prompted  many  an  Old 
Testament  saint  to  comply  with  the  demands  of  the  law. 

F.  3.  Trees  planted  by  the  water  side  are  in  a  thriving  condi- 
tion, from  the  humidity  which  impregnates  their  pith,  so  that 
their  leaves  continue  green — in  the  case  of  some,  e.  g.  the  olive 
tree,  all  the  year  round  (Psalm  lii.  10) — and  they  yield  their  fruit 
in  their  season.  So  the  soul  of  man  gets  watered  and  fecundated 
from  communion  with  God  and  delight  in  his  law,  so  that  he 
appears  healthy  while  others  decay,  and  finds  strength  adequate  to 
the  calls  of  duty.  "  I  know  both  how  to  be  abased/'  says  the 
apostle,  "  and  I  know  how  to  abound :  everywhere  and  in  all  things 
I  am  instructed  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound 
and  to  suffer  need.  /  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who 
strengthened  me"  (Phil.  iv.  12.)  The  assertion  of  the  Psalmist, 
that  "  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper,"  is  apparently  liable  to 
many  exceptions,  but  when  thoroughly  fathomed  will  hold  good  in 
its  strictest  sense.  He  refers  not  to  every  act  of  the  godly,  but 
only  to  such  "that  are  wrought  in  God"  (John  iii.  21) — he 
speaks  of  the  pious  deeds  of  the  pious.  The  old  Adam  and  the 
new  are  waging  war  while  flesh  and  blood  attach  to  man ;  hence 
many  acts  are  done  which  cannot  succeed;  but  is  it  possible  that 
acts  which  flow  from  the  new  Adam  should  prove  otherwise  than 
successful  ?  In  performing  them,  man  is  simply  the  instrument  of 
God;  how  then  can  at  any  time  ill -success  attend  to  that  which 
the  eternal  God  accomplishes  by  his  instruments  ?  The  prophet 
Jeremiah  propounds  the  same  sentiment,  (chap.  xvii.  7,  8 :) 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  and  whose  hope  the 
Lord  is.  For  he  shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the  waters,  and 
that  spreadeth  out  her  roots  by  the  river,  and  shall  not  see  when 
heat  cometh,  but  her  leaf  shall  be  green;  and  shall  not  be  careful 
in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall  cease  from  yielding  fruit/' 

V.  4.  As  the  pious  who  derives  the  strength  and  fecundation 
of  his  soul  from  the  word  of  God  is  like  a  firmly  rooted  tree,  so  he 
who  lives  without  God  in  the  world  is  like  drifted  chaff.  He  who 
has  nothing  sure  in  heaven,  cannot  have  anything  firm  on  earth. 
His  views  and  resolutions  change  with  the  weather,  as  James  says, 
"a  double-minded  man  (doubter)  is  unstable  in  all  his  ways." 
(James  i.  8.)  Just  as  the  wind  carries  away  the  light  chaff  from 
the  loftily  situated  threshing-floors  of  the  East,  when  the  corn  is 
winnowed,  so  are  they  scattered.  (Job  xxi.  18 ;  Ps.  xxxv.  5;  Hos. 
xiii.  4.)  Can  a  man  confidently  pursue  the  path  of  life  if  his  views 
and  principles  are  devoid  of  firmness?  If  the  most  confirmed 
miscreants  and  usurpers,  (and  such  ripened  evil-doers  are  the 
exceptions,)  who  seemed  with  unwavering  step  to  pursue  their  end 
for  the  greater  portion  of  their  life,  have  been  known  to  reel  at 
certain  decisive  moments,  as  though  the  soil  were  receding  from 


60  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

under  their  feet,  how  much  more  does  this  apply  to  beginners  in 
evil!  Universal  experience  thus  shows  the  inconstancy  of  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked,  and  that  is  the  judgment  which  they 
prepare  for  themselves  on  earth. 

F.  5.  The  temporal  judgments  of  God  will  be  completed  in. 
eternity.  When  the  Lord  shall  have  sent  forth  his  angels,  and 
gathered  the  entire  assembly  of  the  righteous  on  earth,  then  shall 
the  ungodly,  though  already  frequently  scattered  here  below,  be  as 
chaff  before  the  blast  of  the  final  judgment,  and  find  no  place  in 
the  congregation  of  the  righteous.  (Isaiah  iv.  4;  xi.  9;  Ix.  21; 
Mai.  iv.) 

V.  6.  It  often  appears  as  if  God  were  unmindful  of  the  path 
of  thorns  which  his  children  have  to  tread  here  in  "time,"  and 
they  often  think  every  way  of  escape  cut  off;  but  "  The  Lord 
knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous/'  His  eye  fixedly  rests  on  it, 
and  beholds  the  blessed  issue  where  they  can  only  see  the  boundary 
of  thorns.  The  way  of  the  ungodly,  though  broad  and  secure  in 
the  sight  of  men,  suddenly  breaks  off  and  ends  with  terror.  "The 
Lord  shall  laugh  at  the  wicked,  for  he  seeth  that  his  day  is  coming/' 
(Psalm  xxxvii.  13.) 


PSALM  II. 

A  HORTATORY  psalm  against  the  princes  who  oppose  Messiah,  the 
anointed  King  of  God. 

The  author  is  not  mentioned  in  the  title,  but  Acts  iv.  25  refers 
its  authorship  to  David.  Even  if  the  Messianic  character  of  this 
psalm  were  denied,  and  it  were  explained  of  a  rebellion  of  some 
tributary  nations  against  a  king  of  Israel,  it  would  still  have  to  be 
assigned  to  the  times  of  David  or  Solomon,  since  in  the  later 
periods  of  Judah  there  lived  no  king  sufficiently  powerful  that  this 
psalm  could  apply  to  him.  But  it  cannot  be  referred  to  the  events 
in  the  history  of  David  or  Solomon  :  it  cannot  apply  to  the  times 
of  David,  for,  to  mention  but  one  thing,  it  clearly  treats  of  the 
rebellion  against  a  newly  instituted  king,  and  David  on  ascending 
the  throne  had  not  subdued  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  much  less 
foreign  nations;  it  cannot  refer  to  Solomon's  accession,  for  that  as 
well  as  the  whole  of  his  reign  was  strictly  peaceful,*  on  which 

*  1  Kings  v.  3,  4.  The  insurrections  mentioned  1  Kings  xi.  14.  23,  were 
trifling  in  themselves,  and  belong  to  the  last  period  of  the  king's  reign. 
The  psalm  could  not  have  been  composed  then,  because  Solomon  was  at 
that  time  too  much  immersed  in  idolatry  to  compose  such  a  psalm.  To 
those  who  refer  it  to  the  accession  of  Solomon,  (Ewald,  Bleek,)  it  may  be 


PSALM  II.  61 

account  Solomon  was  called  par  excellence  "the  prince  of  peace." 
David  rather  composed  it  in  the  spirit,  when  he  contemplated  the 
future  useless  resistance  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  against  his 
royal  Son.  It  was  shown  in  the  Introduction  how  David,  medi- 
tating on  the  prophecy  made  to  him,  (2  Sam.  vii.,)  was  led  to  the 
thought  that  the  Messiah  should  spring  from  his  own  house.  In  the 
song  from  the  last  period  of  his  life,  (quoted  pp.  48,  49,)  we  have 
a  clear  evidence  of  his  Messianic  hopes :  the  contents  of  that  song 
may  be  compared  with  this  psalm.  The  object  of  David's  hopes  in 
the  song  is  the  coming  of  a  righteous  and  holy  King  from  his  own 
house,  during  whose  reign  universal  prosperity  should  spring  up 
like  an  unclouded  sunrise,  (Of.  ad.  Psalm  Ixvii.  7,)  while  the 
ungodly  should  perish.  In  this  psalm  he  beholds  the  eternal 
Sovereign  of  his  house  entering  upon  his  reign,  the  princes  of  the 
earth  rebelling  against  him,  the  Lord,  while  assuring  him  of  victory, 
exhorting  them  to  obey  him.  As  David  calls  himself  divinely 
inspired  in  2  Samuel  xxiii.,  and  Christ  says  (Matt.  xxii.  43)  that 
David  spoke  Psalm  ex.  in  the  spirit,  we  may  assume  inspiration  in 
this  psalm.  Its  manner  of  expression  indicates  as  much.  Majesty 
and  life  characterize  this  beautiful  psalm :  the  kings,  Glod,  and 
lastly  the  Messiah,  appear  in  dramatic  succession.  Tranquillity 
ensues  at  last.  Most  Jewish  interpreters  consider  the  king  here 
referred  to,  to  be  the  Messiah.  Messiah  means  "the  anointed 
one/'  (John  i.  41,)  and  this  very  king  is  described  in  verse  6  as 
the  Anointed  of  God.* 

Respecting  the  manner  in  which  the  Redeemer  is  mentioned, 
we  refer  to  Introduction,  page  50.  Offence  has  been  taken  at  the 
punishment  with  which  the  opponents  of  Messiah  are  threatened; 
but  the  same  occurs  in  our  Lord's  own  words  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. While  the  Saviour  uses  similar  terms  in  representing  the 
citizens  of  his  kingdom  as  rebellious,  and  "killing  the  heir/' 
(Luke  xix.  14;  Matt.  xxi.  38,)  he  likewise  declares  that  the  wicked 
shall  be  slain,  and  those  "who  would  not  that  he  should  reign  over 
them"  be  destroyed.  (Matt.  xxi.  41;  Luke  xix.  27.)  "Whosoever 
shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken/'  says  he,  "but  on  whomso- 
ever it  shall  fall,  it  shall  grind  him  to  powder."  Such  is  the  har- 
mony of  the  words  of  prophecy  and  those  of  the  New  Testament.f 

The  prophetic  Psalmist  is  translated  to  the  time  of  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Son  of  God  as  king  of  the  earth,  and  hears  the  rebellious 

replied  that  there  is  no  allusion  whatever  to  a  rebellion  on  the  part  of  sub- 
dued nations:  again  it  is  a  question  whether  if  v.  6  be  rendered  "Upon 
Zion"  it  may  be  said  of  Solomon,  that  he  was  anointed  upon  Zion. 
(Cf.  1  Kings  i.  38.) 

*  The  Hebrew  has  not  the  word  from  which  the  name  "Messiah"  is 
derived,  but  one  cognate  to  it  and  in  poetic  use. 

f  Cf.  to  this  Psalm  and  the  prophetic  psalms  in  general,  (Sack's  Apolo- 
getik,  2d  edition,  1841,  p.  278,)  etc. 

6 


62  COMMENTARY   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

speech  of  the  princes,  (v.  1 — 3.)  For  a  while  God  seems  to  sleep, 
but  then  awakes  like  a  hero,  making  the  indisputable  declaration, 
that  no  mortal  can  despise  the  king  whom  he  has  instituted, 
(v.  4 — 6.)  Then  appears  the  Messiah,  to  testify  to  the  dominion 
over  all  flesh  which  the  Father  has  conferred  upon  him,  (v.  7 — 9.) 
The  royal  prophet,  finally,  exhorts  the  kings  of  the  earth  to  timely 
obedience,  ere  punishment  befall  them,  (10.  12.) 

1  TTTHY  do  the  heathen  rage, 

VV      And  the  people  imagine  a  vain  thing? 

2  The  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves, 
And  the  rulers  take  counsel  together, 

Against  the  LORD,  and  against  his  anointed,  saying, 

3  "Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 
And  cast  away  their  cords  from  us." 

4  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh  : 
The  LORD  shall  have  them  in  derision. 

5  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath, 
And  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure : 

6  "  Yet  have  I  anointed  my  king 
Upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion."* 

7  I  will  declare  the  decree  (of  the  Lord) : 

The  LORD  hath  said  unto  me,  "Thou  art  my  Son; 
This  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 

8  Ask  of  me, 

And  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance, 
And  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession. 

9  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ; 

Thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." 

10  Be  wise  now  therefore,  0  ye  kings : 
Be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth. 

11  Serve  the  LORD  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling. 

12  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry, 
And  ye  perish  from  the  way, 
For  his  wrath  is  soon  kindled. 

Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him. 

V.  1 — 3.  The  spirit  of  prophecy  reveals  to  David,  that  the 
world  will  not  willingly  submit  to  the  government  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace.  His  spirit  hears  the  wild  rage  and  tumult  which  usher  in 
rebellion,  but  discerns  also  its  ill-success.  He  beholds  their  gath- 
ering— for  darkness  has  its  potentates — and  however  much  rent 

*  Or,  «  Over  my  holy  hill  of  Zion." 


PSALM  II.  63 

and  divided  they  may  be,  in  one  thing  they  are  of  one  mind. 
"We  will  not  have  this  one  to  reign  over  us."  (Luke  xix.  14.) 
"  My  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light,"  said  the  Saviour  when 
he  was  on  earth,  and  yet  but  few  were  willing  to  bow  beneath 
those  light  bands  and  blessed  cords — John  had  to  complain  in 
those  days  that  "He  came  to  his  own  and  his  own  received  him 
not."  They  who  refuse  to  wear  those  light  bands  are  injuring 
themselves  most  by  bringing  down  upon  them  the  righteous  judg- 
ment of  Him,  who  will  not  suffer  his  honour  to  be  trampled  under 
foot  with  impunity.  The  New  Testament  as  well  as  this  psalm 
state,  that  rejecting  the  Messiah  is  the  same  as  rejecting  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  since  here  the  bands  and  cords  of  the 
Anointed  of  God  are  described  as  God's  own.  The  Prophets  refer 
in  language  still  more  decisive  to  the  unbelief  and  rebellion  of 
men  against  the  Messiah.  "  He  was  so  despised  that  they  hid 
their  faces  from  him  and  we  esteemed  him  not."  (Isa.  liii.  3.) 
The  prophet  Zechariah  personifies  Messiah,  the  Shepherd  whom 
the  people  reward  with  the  contemptible  sum  of  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.  (Zech.  xi.  12.)  Daniel  says,  "And  after  three-score 
and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself." 
(Dan.  ix.  26.) 

F.  4 — 6.  There  are  tumults  and  commotions  on  earth;  the 
children  of  God  get  afraid,  and  ask,  "  0  Lord,  how  long  ?"  But 
'tis  calm  and  bright  in  the  heavens.  "He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  shall  laugh,  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision."  He 
would  do  so,  were  he  man.  "  It  is  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  circle 
of  the  earth,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  as  grasshoppers,  that 
stretcheth  out  the  heavens  as  a  curtain,  and  spreadeth  them  out  as 
a  tent  to  dwell  in.  That  bringeth  the  princes  to  nothing; — he 
maketh  the  judges  of  the  earth  as  vanity."  (Isa.  xl.  22,  23.) 
Our  heart  must  be  where  God  is.  If  we  leave  it  on  the  raging 
and  stormy  earth,  it  joins  in  the  raging  and  the  storm;  if  we  lift 
it  to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  God's  Heaven,  his  peace  and  hap- 
piness flow  to  us.  The  Lord  has  his  time  to  laugh  and  to  continue 
silent,  but  "Thinkest  thou  that  I  shall  always  be  silent  and  thou 
fearest  me  not?"  he  asks  (Isa.  Ivii.  11.)  No;  he  will  speak,  and 
so  speak  that  "  whosoever  heareth  of  it,  both  his  ears  shall  tingle." 
But  for  a  little  while  will  he  suffer  his  anointed  One  to  be  des- 
pised, as  if  he  did  not  heed  it.  Within  that  brief  period  falls  our 
existence.  His  voice  will  then  be  heard  in  all  the  earth,  and  his 
mighty  acts  will  ask,  "Shall  men  be  able  to  depose  whom  /have 
created  and  instituted  as  king?"  God  has  instituted  him  as  king : 
shall  this  king  lack  subjects?  No,  as  the  apostle  has  it,  "At  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess 
that  he  is  the  Lord."  (Phil.  ii.  9.)  If  not  willingly,  they  will  be 
compelled  to  do  it  unwillingly :  should  they  deny  his  righteousness 
and  lov e,  they  will  not  be  able  to  deny  his  majesty  and  glory.  This 


64  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

king  is  set  upon  or  over  Zion,  viz.  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  of 
which  Paul  speaks.  (Gal.  vi.  16 ;  iv.  26.) 

F.  7 — 9.  The  prophet  now  hears  the  king's  own  speech.  He 
speaks  of  his  divine  generation  and  appointment,  which  being 
from  everlasting  can  never  be  destroyed.  His  royal  majesty,  how- 
ever, was  not  revealed  till  after  the  time  of  his  obedience  on  earth, 
and  he  was  "declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead/'  (Rom.  i.  4.)  Paul  connects  this 
passage  with  the  time  of  Christ's  resurrection,  because  not  till  then 
did  his  Sonship  become  manifest  to  them.  (Acts  xiii.  33.)  Israel 
and  its  kings  are  sometimes  called  "sons  of  God."  (Ex.  iv.  22; 
2  Sam.  vii.  14;  Psalm  Ixxxix.  27.)  But  they  bear  the  name  of 
children  and  sons  of  God  in  a  very  important  sense,  simply  on 
account  of  having  experienced  the  love  of  God.  The  Messiah,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  the  Son  of  God  indeed,  above  whom  the  hea- 
vens were  opened,  and  the  -voice  of  God  said:  "This  is  my 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  He  testifies  in  this 
place  that  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  his  possession.  No  king  in 
Israel  ever  received  promise  like  this.  The  limits  of  Israel  were 
"from  the  Red  Sea  even  unto  the  Sea  of  the  Philistines,  and  from 
the  desert  unto  the  river."  (Ex.  xxiii.  31;  Ps.  Ixxx.  12.)  More 
remote  frontiers  are  set  to  King  Messiah:  "He  shall  have  domin- 
ion from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  (Euphrates)  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth."  (Ps.  Ixxii.  8;  Zech.  ix.  10.)  He  who  had  not  where 
to  lay  his  head  on  earth,  said  nevertheless,  "Thou  hast  given  to 
thy  Son  power  over  all  flesh,  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as 
many  as  thou  hast  given  him;"  and  again,  "All  mine  are  thine, 
and  thine  are  mine."  Our  Lord  did  not  take  the  world  with  the 
sceptre  of  the  mighty  on  earth,  but  with  the  mild  sceptre  of  peace. 
But  as  the  shepherd  uses  his  staff  only  among  the  sheep  that  hear 
his  voice,  but  wears  a  sword  against  wolves,  so  the  good  Shepherd 
wears  a  sword  along  with  his  staff,  and  says,  concerning  the  evil 
servant,  "The  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he 
looketh  not  for  him,  and  at  an  hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of,  and 
shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the 
hypocrites:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 
(Matt.a  xxiv.  50,  51.)  The  Saviour  is  called  "a  Lamb;"  but 
there  is  also  mentioned  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb ;  as  it  is  written 
that  they  shall  say  to  the  mountains  and  to  the  rocks,  "  Fall  on  us, 
and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and 
from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,  for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is 
come;  and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand?"  (Rev.  vi.  16, 17.)  " He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life;  and  he  that 
believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life;  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him."  (John  iii.  36.) 

V.  10—12.  With  such  thoughts  of  the  wrath  to  come  the 
royal  prophet  exhorts  the  kings  of  the  earth  to  be  instructed 


PSALM  III.  65 

betimes.  They  are  to  rejoice  in  the  possession  of  such  a  ruler, 
but  to  remember  that  the  sceptre  of  his  protection  may  be  turned 
into  the  rod  of  punishment.  He  bids  them  to  kiss  the  Son,  which 
is  a  mark  of  homage  and  adoration,  (1  Sam.  x.  1,)  and  to  confide 
in  and  take  refuge  with  him,  which  involves  an  amount  of  power 
beneath  the  shelter  of  which  they  may  securely  brave  any  tempest. 
Conscious  that  the  possession  of  him  includes  that  of  everything 
else,  the  Psalmist  calmly  closes  this  impassioned  song  with  the 
words:  "Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him." 


PSALM  III. 

A  PRAYER  of  David,  falling  into  that  period  of  sore  temptation, 
when  Absalom,  his  beloved  son,  sought  to  deprive  him  of  his 
crown  and  life.  At  the  end  of  the  ten  years  of  Saul's  bitter  perse- 
cution, David  may  have  considered  the  time  of  his  exile  for  ever 
gone.  But  it  was  to  return  once  more  towards  the  latter  end  of 
his  life,  caused  by  his  own  son,  and  Ahithophel,  a  treacherous 
friend.  A  messenger  came  to  David  informing  him  that  the 
people  were  running  after  Absalom  saying,  "The  hearts  of  the 
men  of  Israel  are  after  Absalom."  But  David  said  to  all  his  ser- 
vants that  were  with  him  at  Jerusalem,  "Arise  and  let  us  flee,  for 
we  shall  not  else  escape  from  Absalom !"  Thus,  accompanied  by  a 
few  of  his  faithful  followers  and  the  tears  of  a  great  portion  of  the 
people,  with  covered  head  and  barefooted,  he  went  over  Mount 
Olivet  towards  the  river  Jordan  to  wait  in  the  desert  for  the  issue 
of  things  at  Jerusalem.  (2  Sam.  xvii.  21 — 24.)  The  event  is 
touchingly  described  in  2  Sam.  xv.  During  his  absence  from 
the  city,  David  appears  to  have  experienced  the  continuous 
alternation  of  various  degrees  of  calm  repose  and  great  anxiety 
and  fear.  (Cf.  Ps.  Iv.  xxviii.)  Most  of  the  psalms  which  he  com- 
posed during  that  flight  in  the  desert,  or  still  later,  betray  great 
anxiety.  This  psalm,  expressive  of  filial  confidence  in  the  midst 
of  trouble,  accords  best  with  that  melancholic  disposition  of  peace, 
which  may  be  traced  in  the  words  of  the  humbled  king  on  the 
first  day  after  his  departure  from  the  city.  Compare  also  his  con- 
ciliating language  to  Shimei.  (2  Sam.  xvi.)  Since  the  contents  of 
the  psalm  show  that  it  was  sung  in  the  evening,  (v.  6,)  we  may 
infer  that  it  was  composed  on  the  evening  of  that  first  day  when 
the  king  took  night-quarters  at  Bahurim,  close  by  Jerusalem. 
(2  Sam.  xvi.  5 — 14.) 
6* 


66  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

1  A     PSALM   of  David,  when  he  fled  from   Absalom 
J\.         his  son. 

2  LORD,  how  are  they  increased  that  trouble  me  ? 
Many  are  they  that  rise  up  against  me. 

3  Many  there  be  which  say  of  my  soul, 
There  is  no  help  for  him  in  God.     Selah. 

4  But  thou,  0  LORD,  art  a  shield  for  me; 
My  glory,  and  the  lifter  up  of  mine  head. 

5  I  cried  unto  the  LORD  with  my  voice, 

And  he  heard  me  out  of  his  holy  hill.     Selah. 

6  I  lay  me  down  and  sleep ; 

I  awake;*  for  the  LORD  sustaineth  me. 

7  I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten  thousands  of  people, 
That  have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about. 

8  Arise,  0  LORD  ;  save  me,  0  my  God : 

For  thou  smitest  all  mine  enemies  upon  the  cheek-bone ; 
Thou  breakest  the  teeth  of  the  ungodly. 

9  Salvation  is  with  the  LORD  : 

Thy  blessing  is  upon  thy  people.     Selah. 

V.  1.  What  a  share  of  sad  experience  for  the  humbled  king 
was  compressed  into  that  one  day.  His  throne  is  lost,  the  sanctu 
ary  left  behind;  his  beloved  son  has  become  his  persecutor,  and  i 
highly  esteemed  and  trusty  friend  (Psalm  Iv.  14,  15,)  turned  £ 
traitor;  faithless  subjects  have  derided  him,  and  even  throwr 
stones  at  him !  (2  Sam.  xvi.  6,  7.)  Tired  and  worn  out  with  the 
fatigues  of  the  day,  he  has  reached  his  night  quarters,  (2  Sam, 
xvi.  14,)  and  withal  can  retire  in  profound  calm  of  mind,  as  it  is 
here  portrayed ! 

His  excitement  is  yet  alive  at  the  beginning  of  the  psalm 
The  first  impression  of  the  insurrection  is  evident  (v.  2,  3.)  The 
thought  of  the  Lord  however  inspires  confidence  (v.  4,  5.)  He 
then  lies  down,  sure  of  the  blessing  of  God  upon  himself  and  the 
faithful  people  of  God  (v.  6—9.) 

V.  2,  3.  He  might  well  complain  of  the  multitude  of  his 
opponents.  Hardly  more  than  six  hundred  men  had  remained 
with  him,  (2  Sam.  xv.  18,)  since  the  people  without  Jerusalem 
had  in  masses  joined  rebellious  Absalom.  (2  Sam.  xv.  13.)  The} 
said,  in  their  overweening  confidence,  of  him  who,  in  innumerable 
instances,  had  experienced  the  most  wonderful  deliverances  oJ 

*  We  may  translate  with  A.  V.  in  the  past  time,  and  render,  "I  laid  me 
down  and  slept,"  "I  awaked."  The  psalm  would  then  hare  been  sung  ID 
the  morning ;  but  the  subsiding  in  gradual  calm  towards  the  end,  adapts 
it  more  for  an  evening  song. 


PSALM  III.  67 

God,  "There  is  no  help  for  him  in  God."  Shimei  in  particular 
had  indulged  in  blasphemy  like  this:  "The  Lord  hath  delivered 
the  kingdom  into  the  hand  of  Absalom  thy  son ;  and  behold  thou 
art  taken  in  thy  mischief,  because  thou  art  a  bloody  man/' 
(2  Sam.  xvi.  8.) 

F.  4,  5.  He  had  still  a  small  number  of  faithful  adherents. 
Valiant  Joab  and  Abishai  surrounded  him.  But  he  confides  not 
in  the  spear  and  shield  of  man.  The  Lord  is  his  shield :  he  hopes 
to  be  reinstated  to  honour  by  him,  and  trusts  that  he  will  lift  up 
his  bowed  head  again.  "  Cursed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man, 
and  maketh  flesh  his  arm/'  (Jer.  xvii.  5.)  The  priests  wished  to 
carry  away  the  ark  of  the  covenant :  David  sent  it  back,  and  said, 
with  mild  resignation,  " Carry  back  the  ark  of  God  into  the  city: 
if  I  shall  find  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  he  will  bring  me 
again,  and  show  me  both  it  and  his  habitation ;  but  if  he  thus  say, 
I  have  no  delight  in  thee;  behold,  here  am  I,  let  him  do  to  me  as 
seemeth  good  unto  him."  (2  Sam.  xv.  25,  26.)  He  then  directs 
his  thoughts  to  the  holy  hill,  and  knows  that,  though  remote  from 
it,  he  is  not  remote  from  Him  who  hears  from  there.  Selah  fol- 
lows this  expression,  which  always  occurs  after  emphatic  thoughts, 
when  song  used  to  be  followed  by  a  musical  interlude. 

V.  6,  7.  Peaceful  and  quieted  he  is  about  to  lay  him  down  in 
the  midst  of  a  rebellious  people :  he  feels  as  if  the  Lord  were  stand- 
ing by  his  side,  and  holding  him  with  his  right  hand.  Who 
among  Christians  does  imitate  him  in  similar  circumstances? 

F.  8,  9.  The  recollection  of  great  deliverances  now  rushed 
upon  his  mind.  His  song  at  the  close  of  his  life  was,  "The  Lord 
is  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer;  my  God,  my 
strength,  in  whom  I  will  trust;  my  buckler,  and  the  horn  of  my 
salvation,  and  my  high  tower."  (Psalm  xviii.  3.)  Every  experi- 
ence which  formed  the  basis  of  these  expressions  burst  upon  his 
soul.  His  enemies  had  frequently  compassed  him  as  wild  beasts, 
but  he  had  escaped  from  their  mouth.  (Psalm  xxii.  17.  22.)  The 
remembrance  of  such  experiences  kindled  the  hope  that  the  Lord 
would  help  him,  and  break  the  teeth  of  the  wild  animals  which 
were  turned  against  him.  He  looks  not  around  him  on  earth:  his 
confidence  and  hope  centre  in  God  alone.  "  Salvation  is  with  the 
Lord,"  as  if  he  had  said,  What  other  help  do  I  require?  We  may 
understand  the  people  for  whom  he  prays  to  designate  the  mass  of 
the  rebellious,  which  might  then  be  paraphrased,  Let  not  my 
blinded  subjects  suffer  for  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  some  few! 
The  term  "people  of  God,"  however,  means  frequently  in  the 
Psalms,  the  generation  of  the  godly,  the  real  Israel  after  the  Spirit, 
(Psalms  xiv.  4;  Ixxii.  2,)  and  as  such  it  may  here  have  designated 
the  faithful  portion  of  the  people,  who  from  faith  in  God  had  con- 
tinued faithful  to  their  rightful  monarch.  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  9 ;  see 
also  ad.  Ixiii.  12.) 


68  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS, 


PSALM  IV. 

A  PSALM  of  comfort  of  David,  which  probably  belongs  to  the 
period  when  David,  returning  with  his  men  to  the  town  of  Ziklag, 
which  the  king  of  the  Philistines  had  given  him,  found  that  the 
Amalekites  had  invaded  and  burnt  it,  and  carried  off  the  women 
and  children. 

The  six  hundred  who  had  followed  David  became  then  so  filled 
with  distrust  and  exasperation  against  David,  that  they  actually 
talked  of  stoning  him.  (1  Sam.  xxx.  6.)  That  event  would  satis- 
factorily explain  v.  6,  and  especially  vs.  6 — 8.  The  psalm  was 
composed  in  the  evening,  (see  v.  9.)  David  looks  to  God  for 
strength  and  consolation,  (v.  1.)  He  remembers  his  worldly- 
minded  associates,  and  chides  them  for  their  hasty  abandonment  of 
confidence  in  his  good  cause,  (vs.  2 — 6.)  He  supplicates  God  for 
the  return  of  prosperity,  (v.  7,)  though  he  already  derives  more 
enjoyment  and  blessings  from  his  communion  with  the  Lord,  than 
they  do  from  their  temporal  possessions,  (v.  8.)  Strengthened 
by  these  thoughts,  he  retires  peacefully  to  rest  under  the  shield 
and  protection  of  God. 

1  nnO  the   chief  Musician,   on   the  Harp,  a  Psalm   of 
1         David. 

2  Hear  me  when  I  call,  0  God  of  my  righteousness ; 
Thou  hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was  in  distress ; 
Have  mercy  upon  me  and  hear  my  prayer. 

3  0  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  will  ye  turn  my  glory  into 

shame  ? 

How  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and  seek  after  leasing? 
Selah. 

4  But  know  that  the  LORD  hath  chosen  His  holy  one ; 
The  LORD  will  hear  when  I  call  unto  him. 

5  Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not : 
Commune  with  your  own  heart 
Upon  your  bed,  and  be  still.     Selah. 

6  Offer  the  sacrifices  of  righteousness,* 
And  put  your  trust  in  the  LORD. 

7  There  be  many  that  say,  "Who  will  show  us  any  good?0 
LORD,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon  us. 

8  Thou  hast  put  gladness  in  my  heart, 

More  than  in  the  time  that  their  corn  and  their  wine 
increased. 

9  I  will  both  lay  me  down  in  peace,  and  sleep : 
For  thou,  LORD,  only  makest  me  dwell  in  safety. 

*  Or,  "right  sacrifices." 


PSALM  IV.  69 

F.  2.  Taking  his  refuge  in  prayer,  he  practically  expresses  his 
conviction,  that  however  much  the  unbelieving  may  feel  inclined 
to  ascribe  to  blind  and  unconscious  fate  events  like  that  just  real- 
ized, (viz.  the  unexpected  invasion  of  the  Amalekites,)  that  all 
visitations,  however  unexpected  or  distressing  they  be,  are  lodged 
in  the  hands  of  God,  and  by  him  dispensed  to  men.  By  calling 
him  the  God  of  his  righteousness,  he  testifies  that  he,  to  whose  will 
every  human  destiny  is  to  be  referred,  does  not  conduct  the  govern- 
ment of  the  world  in  an  arbitrary  manner,  but  after  a  standard  of 
eternal  truth  and  equity,  and  views  his  own  case  in  that  light: — 
"Thou  hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was  in  distress/'  shows  that  he  is 
not  a  novice  in  his  communion  with  God,  but  that  in  similar  situa- 
tions he  has  frequently  communed  with  him,  and  experienced  that 
the  prayers  of  the  tried  and  distressed  are  not  uttered  in  vain,  but 
that  there  is  an  ear  in  heaven  which  is  sure  to  hear  them. 

V.  3,  4.  He  then  contemplates  the  case  of  his  associates,  who 
had  joined  him  in  the  confidence  that  God  would  not  leave  him, 
his  pious  servant.  David's  example  may  teach  us  how  to  defend 
our  honour,  though  we  should  with  David  regard  it  as  the  gift  of 
God.  It  is  hardly  probable  that  he  alludes  to  the  royal  glory, 
derived  from  Samuel's  having  anointed  him,  as  he  could  not  assert 
that  during  the  lifetime  of  Saul,  without  appearing  rebellious. 
Moreover,  he  caused  himself  with  the  consent  of  the  people  once 
more  to  be  anointed  after  the  death  of  Saul.  (2  Sam.  ii.  4.)  But 
he  may  refer  to  that  glory  of  peculiar  Divine  protection,  which  is 
enjoyed  by  the  faithful  servants  of  God,  (v.  4.)  We  find,  however, 
that  the  opinion  obtained  pretty  generally,  that  the  son  of  Jesse 
was  to  inherit  the  kingdom.  (1  Sam.  xxv.  28.) 

Very  probably  many  of  those  who  were  trying  their  chance  with 
David  shared  in  that  opinion,  though  there  is  nothing  that  should 
have  prevented  him  from  remembering  his  prerogative  in  secret 
prayer  to  God.  But  however  that  may  be,  he  first  remonstrates 
with  his  followers,  that  not  only  his  enemies,  but  they,  his  professed 
friends,  should  yield  themselves  to  the  deterioration  of  his  glory, 
and  leasingly  doubt  the  continuance  of  God's  protection  because  of 
a  transient  bitter  experience.  He  calls  them,  par  excellence,  "sons 
of  men,"  i.  e.  heroes,  or  as  Luther  renders,  "  Lords."  He  appeals 
to  his  conviction  that  God,  who  had  once  for  all  separated  him  for 
his  service,  would  not  prove  faithless  in  his  promise,  and  that  his 
prayers  to  God  on  that  ground  possess  intrinsic  worth.  Here  we 
have  the  identical  grounds  for  that  confidence  which  the  children  of 
God  display  in  their  prayers ;  i.  e.  He  who  has  once  chosen  them  in 
his  Son  can  never  prove  faithless  to  his  promises.  That  faith  ren- 
ders our  prayers  to  God  efficacious. 

F.  5,  6.  Conscious  of  the  complete  amalgamation  of  his  cause 
with  that  of  God,  he  is  able  to  exhort  those  who  seemed  to  despair 
of  his  cause,  to  stand  in  awe  at  such  wickedness.  In  the  stillness 


70  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

ip* 

of  night,  he  calls  upon  his  passionate  followers  to  come  to  them 
selves  duriag  the  quietude  of  nightly  repose,  when  things  appeal 
so  different  from  what  they  do  in  the  bustle  of  the  day.  He  chides 
them  for  having  hitherto  omitted  to  pay  the  sacrifices  which  ar< 
well  pleasing  to  God,  and  expresses  his  conviction,  that  God  wil 
be  sure  to  do  his  part  and  fulfil  his  promises,  if  they  would  bu 
perform  theirs.  These  words  of  David  contain  the  exhortation  o 
James  the  apostle,  "Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  t< 
you."  (James  iv.  8.) 

F.  7,  8.  After  this  exhortation  follows  his  prayer  to  God,  t< 
perform  his  work  and  to  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upoi 
him  to  whom  he  had  made  such  great  promises.  The  high  priest' i 
benediction  upon  the  people  of  God  was,  "The  Lord  make  his  fac< 
shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee."  Every  membe 
of  the  true  Israel  was  entitled  to  apply  a  share  of  that  blessing  t< 
himself.  Hence  the  frequent  allusions  to  it  in  the  Psalms.  (Psaln 
xxxi.  17;  Ixvii.  2;  Ixxx.  20;  Ixxxix.  16.)  A  beaming  counte 
nance  is  expressive  of  love  and  joy:  now  if  God  regard  man  witl 
such  a  face,  how  can  good  fail  to  come?  David  moreover  declare; 
that  he  for  his  part  is  not  only  hoping  for  the  merey  of  God  for  th< 
future,  nor  merely  desiring  it  in  its  external  manifestations,  bu 
that  his  goodness  has  already  prepared  so  abundant  a  flow  of  joy  ir 
his  heart  as  greatly  to  excel  that  loudest  of  earthly  joys  in  Pales 
tine — the  joy  of  harvest  and  vintage  time,  (Isaiah  ix.  3;  Jeremial 
xlviii.  33,)  when  hill  and  dale  reverberate  with  the  festive  soundi 
of  joy.  The  same  joying  in  God  is  sublimely  expressed  in  Psalmi 
xvi.  xxiii.  xxxvi.  Ixxiii.  etc.  How  much  the  associates  of  Davie 
were  attached  to  temporal  riches  may  be  seen  1  Sam.  xxx.  22. 

F.  9.  In  this  communion  with  God,  a  calm  so  deep  and  a  jo] 
so  intense  have  filled  the  Psalmist's  mind,  that  in  the  enjoymen 
of  profoundest  peace  he  can  lay  him  down,  counting  all  humai 
protection  and  human  watchmen  as  nothing,  and  deems  himsel: 
perfectly  safe  beneath  the  shelter  of  his  Lord. 


PSALM  V. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint  of  David,  probably  belonging  to  th< 
period  of  his  residence  at  the  court  of  Saul;  for  he  could  not  us< 
verse  8,  when  during  his  flight  he  was  alternately  driven  to  th< 
Judaean  wilderness,  to  the  Philistines,  or  elsewhere.  While  h( 
was  at  Saul's  court,  a  hostile  faction  sought  to  fan  his  suspicions 
to  which  he  was  naturally  addicted,  by  saying  that  David  was  aim 
ing  at  his  life  and  coveting  his  throne.  That  faction  chiefly  com 


PSALM   V.  .         71 

prised  members  of  the  tribe  of  Saul  (Benjaminites,)  from  whom  the 
majority  of  courtiers  were  selected.  To  these  belonged  Gush,  of 
whom  David  complains,  (Psalm  vii.)  and  Shimei,  who  showed  his 
attachment  to  Saul  and  hostility  towards  David  at  the  time  of  the 
conspiracy  of  Absalom.  At  the  incitement  of  the  Benjaminites 
there  arose  a  conspiracy  during  the  last  years  of  the  reign  of  David. 
(Of.  1  Sam.  xxii.  7;  xxvi.  19;  2  Sam.  xvi.  8;  xix.  16;  xx.  1.  Cf. 
also  Introduction  to  Psalm  Ixxviii.)  The  instance  of  Doeg  (Cf.  In- 
troduction to  Psalm  Hi.)  shows  how  sanguinary  and  unscrupu- 
lous some  of  his  enemies  were. 

We  gather  from  verse  4,  that  this  psalm  was  sung  in  the  morn- 
ing. After  having  tuned  his  mind  into  a  prayerful  mood  (vs.  2, 3,) 
the  Psalmist  edifies  himself  with  the  thought,  that  the  God  to 
whom  he  is  praying  delights  in  the  honest  and  sincere  of  heart, 
but  despises  the  ungodly  (vs.  4 — 8.)  This  forms  the  ground  of 
his  prayer,  that  God  would  effectively  manifest  his  hatred  against 
unrighteousness,  to  the  end  that  his  praise  might  for  ever  be  on  the 
lips  of  all  his  servants  (vs.  9 — 13.) 


the  chief  Musician,  on   the   Flute,  A   Psalm  of 
David. 

2  Give  ear  to  my  words,  0  LORD,  consider  the  warmth  of 

my  grief:* 

3  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King,  and  my 

God: 
For  unto  thee  will  I  pray. 

4  My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in  the  morning,  0  LORD  ; 

In  the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee,  and 
will  look  up. 

5  For  thou  art  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wicked- 

ness: 
Neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  thee. 

6  The  foolish  shall  not  stand  in  thy  sight: 
Thou  hatest  all  workers  of  iniquity. 

7  Thou  shalt  destroy  them  that  speak  leasing: 

The  LORD  will  abhor  the  bloody  and  deceitful  man. 

8  But  as  for  me,  I  will  come  into  thy  bouse  in  the  fulness 

of  love  to  thee, 
And  in  thy  fear  will  I  worship  toward  thy  holy  temple. 

9  Lead  me,  0  LORD,  in  thy  righteousness  because  of  mine 

enemies ; 
Make  thy  way  straight  before  my  face. 

*  Cf.  Psalm  xxxix.  4,  in  the  original. 


72  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

10  For  there  is  no  faithfulness  in  their  mouth  ; 
Their  inward  part  is  very  wickedness  ; 
Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre  ; 

They  natter  with  their  tongue. 

11  Make  them  guilty,  0  God; 

Let  them  fall  from  their  own  counsels  ; 
Cast  them  out  in  the  multitude  of  their  transgressions  ; 
For  they  have  rebelled  against  t  hee. 

12  But  let  all  those  that  put  their  trust  in  thee  rejoice; 
Let  them  ever  shout  for  joy,  because  thou  protectest 

them; 
Let  them  also  that  love  thy  name  be  joyful  in  thee. 

13  For  thou,  LORD,  wilt  bless  the  righteous; 

With  favour  wilt  thou  crown  him  as  with  a  shield. 

V.  2,  3.  In  his  affliction  David  neither  consumes  his  griel 
within  himself  nor  complains  before  man,  but  gives  vent  to  his 
oppressed  heart  by  directing  his  complaints  to  Him  who  can  send 
relief.  While  others  devour  their  troubles  in  silent  obstinacy,  or 
give  free  course  to  them  before  men  in  talkative  weakness,  but 
grow  dumb  before  God,  true  Christians  get  neither  hardened  in 
their  sorrow  nor  soft  and  loquacious  before  man,  but  silently  carry 
their  sorrow  to  Him  who  knows  best  how  to  heal.  David  calls  the 
Lord  his  King  and  his  God.  How  significant!  He  is  sure  oi 
being  heard;  for  would  a  righteous  king  shut  his  ears  against  his 
subjects?  or  God,  who  has  said  to  man,  "I  am  thy  God!"  refuse 
protection,  if  supplicated  ? 

V.  4.  As  we  should  begin  all  things  with  God,  so  David  begins 
the  day  with  him  :  before  holding  intercourse  with  man,  he  seeks 
for  communion  with  God.  Early  in  the  morning  he  takes  his 
cause  to  God,  as  his  efficient  advocate,  and  confidently  looks  up  to 
him  for  the  direction  of  his  affairs. 

V.  5  —  8.  The  insolence  of  the  wicked  is  so  far  from  making 
him  afraid,  that  it  only  increases  the  confidence  of  his  prayer. 
While  the  wicked  grow  more  determinate  and  daring,  there  is 
nothing  more  certain  than  that  He  who  according  to  his  nature 
hates  all  wickedness,  will  sooner  or  later  effectively  manifest  the 
promises  of  his  word.  The  Psalmist  speaks  of  his  love  and  feat 
with  which  he  will  frequent  the  house  of  God,  not  to  boast  himself, 
but  because  the  man  of  prayer  feels  the  need  of  being  subjectively 
conscious  of  his  adoption  into  God's  family,  to  endue  his  prayers 


^  more  trust.     Did  not  our  Lord,  to  express  the  grantability* 
of  his  prayer  in  a  more  distinct  manner,  say,  "I  pray  not  for  the 

*  I  have  coined  this  word,  to  escape  a  circuitous  mode  of  expression.  — 
[TEANS.] 


PSALM    V.  73 

world,  but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me"?  Why  then 
should  not  a  pious  man  address  God  in  language  like  this:  "0 
Lord,  thou  wilt  not  leave  me;  for  my  inmost  consciousness  tells 
me  that  I  am  thine ;  my  love  to  thee  yields  this  evidence"  ?  By 
"the  temple,"  we  must  understand  "the  tabernacle:"  (Cf.  Psalm 
Ixv.  5:)  "temple"  designates  any  large  building:  so  in  Psalm 
xxvii.  4,  the  temple  is  mentioned,  in  verse  6  the  tabernacle;  so  in 
1  Sam.  i.  9 ;  iii.  3,  the  tabernacle  is  called  the  temple.  At  the 
time  when  David  composed  this  Psalm,  the  tabernacle  was  at  Nob, 
which  was  so  near  to  Jerusalem,  that  the  city  could  be  seen  from 
there.*  David  could  therefore  easily  repair  there  for  public  wor- 
ship. His  friendship  with  Ahimelech  the  priest,  and  the  expres- 
sions of  the  latter  (1  Sam.  xxii.  15;  cf.  chap,  xxi.)  show  David's 
faithfulness  to  the  sanctuary. 

F  9.  The  term,  "  righteousness  of  God,"  as  used  in  the  Psalms, 
frequently  includes  the  ideas  of  kindness  and  lenity,  as  does  the 
German  "  Rechtschaffenheit."  The  Psalmist  invokes  the  kindness 
of  God  to  lead  him  in  a  straight  path ;  the  plain  way  being  that  in 
which  men  do  not  stumble,  and  are  preserved  from  mishap.  (Psalm 
xxvii.  11 ;  Jer.  xxxi.  9.)  Possibly  that  righteousness  may  be 
meant  here,  which  God  demands  from  man.  David's  prayer  would 
then  be,  not  to  deviate  from  the  right  path,  lest  he  should  not 
thrust  himself  into  danger;  according  to  Prov.  xi.  5,  "The  right- 
eousness of  the  perfect  shall  direct  his  way ;  but  the  wicked  shall 
fall  by  his  own  wickedness."  David  prays  for  being  kept  in  the 
right  path  "because  of  his  enemies;"  for  as  the  cause  of  the  godly 
is  the  cause  of  God,  so  the  abuses  of  the  wicked  against  them 
affect  Him  who  calls  himself  their  God  and  their  King.  Of. 
Ps.  xxii.  9. 

V.  10.  The  description  of  the  impiousness  of  his  enemies 
strengthens  his  conviction  that  God  will  not  linger  with  the 
administration  of  his  justice.  Their  speech  is  treacherous  and 
their  throat  an  open  sepulchre — by  throat  he  means  the  calumnies 
which  they  utteredf — they  flatter  with  their  tongues  and  hide  mis- 
chief in  the  secret  recesses  of  their  minds.  We  may  readily  con- 
ceive that  they  pretended  to  be  mightily  zealous  for  the  prosperity 
of  Saul,  since  he  himself  gave  them  to  understand  that  he  con- 
sidered all  those  who  did  not  desire  the  destruction  of  David  as 
his  personal  enemies.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  8.) 

F  11.  "  Make  them  guilty"  means,  "  May  Divine  justice  cause 
them  to  feel  their  guilt  by  the  failure  of  their  enterprises,  and  make 
them  perceive  that  they  did  not  only  oppose  man  but  God."  The 
Lord  said  (Deut.  xxxii.  35,)  "To  me  belongeth  vengeance  and 

*  Robinson's  Palestine,  vol.  ii.  p.  368. 

f  The  throat  as  well  as  the  tongue  are  organs  of  speech,  as  is  clear  from 
the  Hebrew  of  Psalm  cxlix.  6. 


74  COMMENTARY   ON    THE   PSALMS. 

recompense."  That  sentence  caused  David  to  refrain  from  taking 
vengeance  into  his  own  hands  and  to  refer  it  to  God,  as  he  said  t< 
Saul,  "The  Lord  judge  between  me  and  thee,  and  the  Lord  avengi 
me  of  thee;  but  mine  hand  shall  not  be  upon  thee."  (1  Sam 
xxiv.  12.)  He  supplicated  revenge  at  the  hands  of  God,  not  fo 
his  personal  gratification,  but  mainly  because  the  cause  of  calum 
niated  and  oppressed  innocence  is  always  that  of  God,  and  becaus 
his  glory  gets  sullied  when  wickedness  triumphs.  Haughty  me: 
have  certainly  not  the  remotest  idea  that  God  sets  so  great  a  valu 
on  poor  mortals,  that  he  should  consider  his  eternal  majest 
injured,  when  they  are  injured.  They  no  more  think  that  thei 
blows  will  strike  heaven,  than  they  do  when  they  tread  the  dust  c 
mud  under  foot.  But  the  less  they  think  so,  the  more  fit  does  i 
seem  to  Divine  wisdom  now  and  then  to  furnish  the  most  palpabl 
evidence  how  precious  are  to  him  those  "  little  ones,"  as  Chris 
calls  them:  with  this  correspond  the  words  of  the  prophet,  "H 
that  toucheth  you,  toucheth  the  apple  of  His  eye."  (Zech.  ii.  8. 

V.  12.  As  another  ground  for  the  supplicated  manifestation  c 
God's  punitive  justice,  the  Psalmist  adduces  the  eternal  praise  an 
gratitude  of  the  entire  company  of  the  godly  which  should  be  pai 
to  him.  For  God  is  not  like  an  unfeeling  idol,  unheedful  of  th 
joyful  praises  and  sacrifices  of  gratitude  which  man,  his  creatur< 
pays  to  him,  but  he  is  like  a  father,  who  rejoices  in  the  honor 
and  love  which  his  children  bear  to  him.  David,  here  and  els( 
where,  so  completely  regards  all  the  pious  as  one  component  whol< 
where  if  "one  member  be  honoured  all  the  members  rejoice  wit 
it,"  (1  Cor.  xii.  26,)  that  he  considers  his  own  deliverance  i 
their  common  interest;  for  are  not  benefits  conferred  on  individual 
pledges  to  the  rest? 

V.  18.  The  promise  to  the  righteous  is  universal,  and  exclude 
none  from  its  blessings.  Nothing  is  said  of  reward  or  merit,  bi 
grace  shall  crown  and  compass  them  :  the  same  grace  shall  be  the: 
most  sure  defence.  As  the  huge  shields  of  antiquity  were  a  cov* 
and  safeguard  for  the  whole  body,  so  there  is  no  assault  of  the  en< 
my,  and  no  danger,  from  which  the  grace  of  God  is  not  a  sufficier 
protection. 


PSALM  VI. 

SOME  commentators  hold  that  this  Psalm,  and  Psalms  xxvi.  xxvi 
xxxi.  xxxviii.  xxxix.  xli.  Ixix.  Ixxxviii.  which  resemble  it,  wer 
composed  in  great  bodily  afflictions,  while  others  regard  the  alk 
sions  to  disease  which  occur  here  and  in  Isaiah  i.  5,  6;  liii.  3,  a 
descriptive  of  physical  sufferings  resulting  from  the  persecutions  t 
which  the  Psalmist  was  exposed.  Both  views  contain  some  trutli 


PSALM  VI.  75 

Disease  must  be  considered  as  the  primary  cause  for  complaint  in 
Psalm  xli.,  to  which  are  added  the  sufferings  inflicted  by  the 
arrogance  of  malicious  enemies,  so  Psalm  Ixix.  21,  22.  In  others, 
mental  sufferings  are  excited  by  the  enemy,  which  like  every  kind 
of  acute  and  profound  suffering  is  sure  to  affect  the  body.  Thus 
David  complains  (Psalm  Ixix.)  that  the  abuse  of  his  enemies 
makes  him  ill,  and  that  his  illness  gave  them  new  occasion  to  hurt 
him.  In  Psalm  xxxi.  10,  11,  he  says  that  his  grief  had  diseased 
his  physical  frame;  verse  9  shows  that  the  primary  source  of  suf- 
fering in  this  psalm  is  to  be  sought  with  the  enemy.  But  while 
daily  mortification  attending  a  sense  of  innocence,  grief  at  the 
wickedness  of  men,  (Of.  Psalm  cxix.  53,  "Horror  hath  taken 
hold  upon  me  because  of  the  wicked  that  forsake  thy  law/')  and 
the  fear  of  having  to  deal  with  an  angry  Grod,  made  a  united 
onslaught  upon  the  mind,  is  it  likely  that  such  manifold  pain 
should  leave  the  body  unaffected  ?  The  composition  of  this  psalm 
no  doubt  belongs  to  the  period  of  Saul's  persecutions,  when  every 
morning  brought  new  dangers,  and  new  terrors  frightened  the 
wanderer  from  every  asylum,  to  those  days  of  tears  of  which  he 
has  sung,  (Psalm  Ivi.  9  :)  "Count  the  days  of  my  flight:  put  thou 
my  tears  into  thy  bottle." 

It  is  truly  affecting  to  mark  how  David  in  this  prayer,  after  the 
manner  of  genuine  men  of  prayer,  mounts  from  the  abyss  of 
despair  to  the  triumphant  consciousness  that  his  petition  is  heard. 
He  begins  in  mournful  lays,  declaring  that  affliction  has  reached  a 
climax,  and  that  his  strength  is  wholly  broken,  (v.  2 — 4.)  To 
some  extent  calmed,  he  vows  songs  of  gratitude  as  they  are  pleasing 
to  Grod,  and  gets  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  that  grief 
which  he  has  now  borne  for  so  long  a  time,  (v.  5 — 8.)  Then 
issues  forth  from  the  depths  of  his  soul  the  divine  "Amen,"  and 
he  who  just  now  lay  in  the  abyss  of  despair,  causes  triumphal 
notes  to  ascend  to  heaven,  (v.  9 — 11.)  This  beautiful  evidence  of 
genuine  and  deep-felt  prayer,  viz.  the  sudden  assurance  of  being 
heard,  bursting  forth  from  grievous  complaint,  may  be  also  seen  in 
Psalms  vii.  18;  xxii.  25;  xxviii.  6;  Ivi.  13,  14;  Ixxv.  10,  11. 

1  rPO  the  chief  Musician,  on  the  Harp,  to  the  eighth  tune,* 
JL         A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  0  LORD,  rebuke  me  not  in  thine  anger, 
Neither  chasten  me  in  thine  hot  displeasure. 

3  Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  LORD:  for  I  am  weak: 
0  LORD,  heal  me ;  for  my  bones  are  vexed. 

*  The  stringed  instruments  of  the  Hebrews  were  probably  like  those  of 
the  Greeks,  drawn  and  tuned  according  to  different  keys  and  tunes.  For 
ancient  performers  were  not  able  to  play  different  tunes  on  the  same 
instrument,  but  obliged  to  use  different  instruments. 


76  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

4  My  soul  is  also  sore  vexed : 
Butthou,  0  LORD,  how  long? 

5  Keturn,  0  LORD,  deliver  my  soul: 
Oh,  save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake ! 

6  For  in  death  there  is  no  remembrance  of  thee. 
In  the  grave  who  shall  give  thee  thanks  ? 

7  I  am  weary  with  my  groaning ; 

All  the  night  make  I  my  bed  to  swim ; 
I  water  my  couch  with  my  tears. 

8  Mine  eye  is  consumed  because  of  grief; 

It  waxeth  old,  for  I  am  troubled  everywhere. 

9  Depart  from  me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity ! 

For  the  LORD  hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  weeping. 

10  The  LORD  hath  heard  my  supplication; 
The  LORD  will  receive  my  prayer. 

11  Let  all  mine  enemies  be  ashamed  and  sore  vexed : 
Let  them  return  and  be  ashamed  suddenly. 

V.  2.  Though  man's  malice  scourges  David,  he  looks  forth- 
with up  to  the  Hand  in  heaven,  without  whose  permission  no  hand 
on  earth  dares  stir.  He  inquires  into  the  last  reason  of  his  visita- 
tion, and  refuses  not  to  acknowledge  his  tribulation  as  the  well- 
deserved  judgment  of  God.  He  prays  not  for  the  removal  of  the 
chastising  rod,  but  only  that  God  would  not  apply  it  in  his  anger, 
and  vouchsafe  to  him  the  assurance  of  his  reconciliation.  (Cf. 
Ps.  xxxviii.  1 ;  Jer.  x.  24.)  As  applicable  to  all  psalms  of 
complaint,  we  should  bear  in  mind  the  following  fact.  Those  holy 
men,  feeling  the  hand  of  the  Lord  resting  upon  them,  deemed  the 
displeasure  of  God  as  the  bitterest  drop  in  their  cup  of  sorrow. 
Thus  David  prays,  (Ps.  xxv.  17,  18,)  "The  troubles  of  my  heart 
are  enlarged;  bring  thou  me  out  of  my  distresses.  Look  upon 
mine  affliction  and  my  pain,  and  forgive  all  my  sin."  Thus  the 
sons  of  Korah  sing  at  a  time  of  national  calamity,  "  Wilt  thou  be 
angry  with  us  for  ever?  wilt  thou  draw  out  thine  anger  to  all  gen- 
erations?" (Ps.  Ixxxv.  6;  Cf.  Notes  to  Ps.  xxxviii.  2—6.)  How 
far  remote  from  such  wholesome  humiliation  is  the  mass  of  man- 
kind, who  curse  and  swear  at  man,  or  even,  should  they  ultimately 
trace  back  their  misfortune  to  the  Hand  in  heaven,  blaspheme  God 
instead  of  accusing  themselves. 

V.  3,  4.  Deep  and  especially  lasting  agony  of  mind  cannot 
but  undermine  the  physical  frame.  Hence  David  laments  that 
because  his  soul  is  sore  vexed  to  its  foundation,  his  bones,  the 
foundations  of  the  material  body,  are  equally  vexed  and  shaken. 
But  as  God  often  desires  things  to  reach  a  climax  like  this,  David 
represents  the  extremity  of  his  sorrow  as  a  motive  that  God  would 


PSALM  VII.  77 

not  delay  his  mercy  any  longer.  We  may  infer  frem  the  expres- 
sion, "0  Lord,  how  long?"  that  he  had  already  spent  years  of 
misery.  Those  who  have  been  disciplined  in  the  school  of  sorrow 
will  confess  that  it  is  not  so  much  the  greatness  of  misery  as  its 
continuous  duration  which  undermines  body  and  soul.  History 
shows  us  David,  not  as  effeminately  soft,  but  as  a  hero  who  braved 
many  a  fierce  battle.  Is  it  likely  that  he  should  break  out  into 
unbounded  lamentation  at  transient  and  light  afflictions  ? 

F.  5,  6.  If  God  be  our  God,  we  anticipate  to  receive  at  his 
hands  peace  and  happiness.  Hence  the  sufferer  considers  God  as 
having  entirely  deserted  him:  he  cries  therefore,  " Return,  O 
Lord !"  But  he  asserts  no  claim,  not  even  in  his  great  tribula- 
tions, but  simply  prays  to  God  for  deliverance,  and  that  for  his 
mercies'  sake.  He  regards  the  praise  of  God  as  constituting  the 
real  business  of  his  life;  he  praised  him  in  the  day  of  affliction, 
how  great  will  his  glory  be  after  his  deliverance.  He  is  con- 
vinced that  a  life  thus  spent  in  childlike,  happy  gratitude,  is  a 
sweet  savour  to  God,  and  asks  therefore,  "In  the  grave,  who  shall 
give  thee  thanks?" 

V.  7,  8.  Trouble  disturbed  his  peace  by  day,  grief  by  night. 
How  intense  must  have  been  his  affliction,  who  as  a  tender  boy 
slew  a  Goliath  with  his  sling,  and  as  a  man  wept  for  nights  toge- 
ther !  Tears  had  deprived  his  eyes  of  vision — they  had  grown  dim, 
as  in  old  age.  How  vehement  the  flow  of  sorrow  that  could  draw 
streams  of  tears.  He  says  that  he  is  troubled  everywhere — for  his 
persecutors  gave  him  no  rest;  and  history  shows  that  even  where 
he  deemed  himself  secure  among  his  friends,  e.  g.  at  Kagilah  and 
Siph,  fear  and  covetousness  turned  his  friends  into  traitors. 

V.  9 — 11.  When  God  is  not  a  mere  thought  without  and  above 
us,  but  dwells  essentially  in  our  hearts,  we  are  sure  of  the  blessing, 
that  while  we  are  perse veringly  struggling  in  prayer  to  hear  the 
Divine,  "Amen."  How  marvellous  a  change  1  A  minute  ago  he 
lay  in  the  abyss  of  despair,  now  he  has  scaled  the  heavens.  He 
knows  that  his  prayer  is  heard,  and  the  eye  of  faith,  to  which  the 
invisible  becomes  visible,  beholds  all  his  enemies  put  to  flight.  He 
beholds  them  suddenly  put  to  shame,  for  God  renders  it  manifest 
to  his  children  that  it  is  his  aid,  by  sending  it  unawares. 


PSALM  VII. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint  of  David,  belonging  to  the  period  of  his 
flight.  Yerse  5  refers  to  the  magnanimity  he  exhibited  in  sparing 
his  persecutor,  whom  God  had  delivered  into  his  hands,  and  stop- 
ping the  hand  of  vengeful  Abishai.  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  9.)  It  was  said 

7* 


78  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

in  the  introduction  to  Psalm  v.  that  the  members  of  the  tribe  of 
Saul  the  Benjaminite,  were  the  chief  accusers  of  the  son  of  Jesse. 
They  accused  him  who  had  said  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  "The 
Lord  forbid  that  I  should  stretch  forth  mine  hand  against  the 
Lord's  anointed/'  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  11,)  of  aiming  at  the  crown  and 
life  of  the  king.  In  fact,  David  in  his  after-interview  with  Saul 
told  him,  that  the  accusations  of  hostile  men  had  mainly  brought 
about  his  proscription.  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  19.)  Their  hatred  of  David's 
piety,  their  envy  at  his  former  greatness,  no  less  than  the  covetous- 
ness  which  made  them  court  the  favour  and  gifts  of  Saul,  and 
lastly,  their  jealousy  of  tribe  against  the  scion  of  the  house  of 
Judah,  combined  in  stirring  them  to  continuous  hostilities  against 
the  innocent  man. 

David  turning  him  from  his  persecutors  to  God  Almighty,  asserts 
the  glory  of  a  good  conscience,  (v.  2 — 6.)  Dismayed  at  the  injus- 
tice and  malice  suffered  to  exist  in  this  world,  the  sceptre  of  which 
is  swayed  by  a  holy  God,  who  has  no  pleasure  in  iniquity,  he  raises 
an  affecting  cry  for  help,  invoking  Divine  righteousness  to  dispose 
of  mundane  affairs,  (v.  7 — 10.)  Soothing  his  soul,  aod  calming  his 
mind,  he  declares  (however  much  human  pusillanimity  may  differ 
from  him)  that  the  judgments  of  God  are  daily  being  repeated,  and 
that  his  lingering  with  their  execution  arises  mainly  from  his  desire 
to  wait  for  the  repentance  of  men,  (v.  11 — 14.)  His  eye  then  looks 
into  the  future,  and  he  beholds  with  certainty,  that  the  hardened 
offender  who  refuses  to  repent,  will  eventually  become  his  own 
judge  and  executor,  (v.  15 — 18.) 

1  A     COMPLAINT  of  David,  which  he  sang  unto  the 
jLL  LORD,  concerning  the  words  of  Cush  the  Benjaminite. 

2  0  LORD  my  God,  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust  : 

Save  me  from  all  them  that  persecute  me,  and  deliver  me : 

3  Lest  they  tear  my  soul  like  a  lion, 

Rending  it  in  pieces,  while  there  is  not  a  deliverer. 

4  0  LORD  my  God,  if  I  have  done  this; 
If  there  be  iniquity  in  my  hands ; 

5  If  I  have  rewarded  evil  unto  him  that  was  at  peace  with 

me; 

(Yea,  I  have  delivered  him  that  without  cause  is  mine 
enemy :) 

6  Let  the  enemy  persecute  my  soul  and  take  it; 
Yea,  let  him  tread  down  my  life  upon  the  earth, 
And  lay  mine  honour  in  the  dust.     Selah. 

7  Arise,  0  LORD,  in  thine  anger, 

Lift  up  thyself  because  of  the  rage  of  mine  enemies : 
And  awake  for  me,  thou,  who  hast  ordained  judgment. 


PSALM  VII.  79 

8  So  shall  the  congregation  of  the  people  compass  thee 

about : 
(Then)  over  them  return  thou  on  high. 

9  The  LORD  shall  judge  the  people : 

Judge  me,  0  LORD,  according  to  my  righteousness, 
And  according  to  mine  integrity  that  is  in  me. 

10  Oh,  let  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  come  to  an  end ! 
But  establish  the  just: 

For  the  righteous  God  trieth  the  hearts  and  reins. 

11  My  defence  is  of  God, 

Which  saveth  the  upright  in  heart, 

12  God  is  a  righteous  judge, 

And  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day. 

13  If  he  (Saul)  turn  not,  He  hath  whetted  his  sword ; 
He  hath  bent  his  bow,  and  made  it  ready. 

14  He  hath  also  prepared  for  him  the  instruments  of  death ; 
He  hath  made  his  arrows  flaming. 

15  Behold  he  (the  persecutor)  travaileth  with  iniquity, 
And  hath  conceived  mischief, 

And  brought  forth  falsehood. 

16  He  made  a  pit,  and  digged  it, 

And  is  fallen  into  the  ditch  which  he  made. 

17  His  mischief  shall  return  upon  his  own  head, 

And  his  violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own 
pate. 

18  I  will  praise  the  LORD  according  to  his  righteousness, 
And  will  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the  LORD  most  high. 

V.  2.  Stepping  into  the  presence  of  God,  in  the  language  of 
complaint,  David's  heart  appears  to  have  lost  its  hold;  but  it  is 
only  appearance,  for  he  at  once  declares  himself  to  be  one  of  those 
who  spread  their  complaints  before  God  in  faith  and  confidence. 

V.  3 — 6.  He  is  so  conscious  of  his  innocence  that  he  ventures 
to  challenge  Divine  judgments,  should  the  accusations  of  his  ene- 
mies prove  just.  "If  I  have  done  this"  (without  particularly  spe- 
cifying the  accusation,  for  it  had  spread  through  all  the  country, 
and  the  thousands  of  Saul's  pursuing  hosts  were  so  many  accusers 
charging  him  with  conspiracy,)  "  If  there  be  iniquity  in  my  hands," 
says  he,  similar  to  his  expressions  in  his  interview  with  Saul, 
"  wherefore  doth  my  Lord  thus  pursue  after  his  servant  ?  for  what 
have  I  done?  or  what  evil  is  in  mine  hand?"  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  18,) 
Christians  find  it  no  easy  task  to  repress  the  flame  of  anger  at 
unjust  accusations,  and  to  quench  the  rising  passion,  lest  they 
should  render  evil  for  evil.  But  David  achieved  greater  things 


80  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

in  rendering  good  to  those  who  without  cause  were  his  enemies, 
When  the  passionate  Abishai  turned  his  spear  against  Saul,  David 
held  him  back,  lest  the  anointed  of  God  should  fall  by  an  assas- 
sin's hand.  It  is  not  with  a  desire  to  appear  meritorious  before 
God  that  he  refers  to  that  magnanimous  deed,  he  rather  reminds 
God  and  himself  of  the  justice  of  his  cause,  for  confidence  in 
prayer  is  necessarily  increased  by  the  consciousness  that  we  appear 
before  our  holy  God  in  a  just  cause  and  with  a  clear  conscience. 

F.  7 — 9.  Though  refraining  to  be  the  judge  of  his  own  affairs, 
and  well  remembering  the  words  of  the  Lord,  "Vengeance  is  mine, 
I  will  recompense/'  he  deemed  it  proper  to  invite  him  to  action 
who  has  undertaken  the  work  of  recompense  on  earth;  thus  he  said 
to  Saul,  "  The  Lord  judge  between  me  and  thee,  and  the  Lord 
avenge  me  of  thee ;  but  mine  hand  shall  not  be  upon  thee."  (1  Sam. 
xxiv.  12.)  Anxious  to  show  that  he  desires  not  the  gratification 
of  personal  revenge,  but  that  God  should  assert  his  dignity  as  the 
judge  of  the  world,  he  calls  upon  God  to  institute  a  judgment  on 
all  nations  and  their  iniquities,  only  hoping  that  his  own  cause 
might  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  innumerable  ones  which  the  right- 
eous Judge  could  not  suffer  to  remain  unpunished.  Most  of  us 
almost  entirely  forget,  on  witnessing  the  countless  transgressions 
of  law  which  daily  transpire  within  our  sight,  that  they  are  all 
recorded  in  the  memory  of  the  righteous  Judge  of  the  world.  But 
David  sees  with  his  mind's  eye  how  that  Judge  who  forgets  no 
sins,  save  those  which  he  forgives  on  the  condition  of  faith  and 
repentance,  comes  down  from  heaven,  mounts  the  tribunal,  collects 
the  world  before  it,  gives  sentence  in  a  moment,  and  reascends  to 
heaven.  Although  appearances  go  in  a  thousand  instances  against 
that  faith,  we  dare  not  doubt  the  possibility  of  its  being  at  any 
given  moment  evidenced  as  a  fact. 

V.  10.  He  raises  that  petition  which  flows  from  every  Chris- 
tian heart  on  reading  in  the  Lord's  prayer  the  words,  "Deliver  us 
from  evil/'  Such  desires  are  not  vain  imaginings.  The  very  fact 
that  they  may  so  powerfully  well  forth  from  pious  hearts,  is  an  evi- 
dence that  at  some  future  period  they  will  meet  their  fulfilment. 

F.  11 — 14.  David  is  none  of  those  pious  dreamers,  who,  lost 
in  their  contemplation  as  to  what  God  may  do  in  heaven  and  here- 
after, forget  what  he  is  daily  doing  on  earth  within  the  sight  of  all. 
He  perceives  that  His  sword  is  whetted  already,  that  His  bow  is 
bent,  and  that  the  arrow  lingers  on  the  string  simply  because  the 
long-suffering  of  God  is  as  great  as  his  justice,  and  because  he  is 
waiting  even  for  the  repentance  of  a  Saul.  Instruments  of  death 
and  flaming  arrows  point  to  the  custom  of  the  ancients,  who  hav- 
ing enveloped  their  arrows  in  combustible  matter,  lighted  and  then 
sent  them  off". 

F.  15 — 17.  David  equally  perceives  that  God  is  not  obliged  to 
send  down  from  heaven  the  rods  to  chastise,  and  flaming  arrows  to 


PSALM  VIII.  81 

destroy  the  wicked,  but  that  they  are  everywhere  present  on  earth. 
In  innumerable  instances  the  wicked  prepare  their  own  scourge  in 
their  wickedness,  and  perish  by  their  own  iniquities;  as  Luther 
says,  "Whence  could  God  get  ropes  enough  to  hang  every  thief,  if 
they  did  not  do  it  themselves?"  and  as  the  Prophet  says,  "The 
strong  shall  be  as  tow,  and  the  maker  of  it  as  a  spark,  and  they 
shall  both  burn  together,  and  none  shall  quench  them."  (Isaiah 
i.  31.) 

F.  18.  The  manner  of  his  concluding  shows  the  truthfulness 
of  his  beginning  the  psalm  with  "  0  Lord  my  God,  in  thee  do  I 
put  my  trust;"  for  ice  repeatedly  forget  to  thank  God  after,  David 
thanks  God  before,  the  reception  of  benefits,  singing  praise  to  the 
name  of  the  Most  High;  while  the  present  furnishes  him  only  with 
themes  of  complaint. 


PSALM  VIII. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  like  Psalm  iv.  composed  at  night,  and  equally 
sublime,  calm,  and  solemn.  The  solemn  peace  and  brightness  of 
an  eastern  nocturnal  sky  seem  to  be  shed  on  it.  David  may  have 
composed  it  when  he  was  feeding  his  father  Jesse's  sheep  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem.  (1  Sam.  xvii.  15.) 

The  fundamental  idea  of  this  beautiful  psalm  is  the  glory  of  God 
on  earth,  as  it  appears  to  man,  the  noblest  of  his  earthly  creatures. 
The  eyes  of  the  Psalmist  repose  at  night  upon  the  infinite  starry 
heavens :  the  more  he  is  lost  in  the  contemplation  of  their  glory, 
and  the  more  he  considers  that  glory  shed  there  in  such  lavish 
majesty,  as  to  render  it  hardly  credible  that  there  should  have 
remained  any  for  the  earth,  the  greater  is  his  astonishment  when 
reverting  his  look  he  meets  the  same  revelation  of  Divine  majesty 
on  earth.  He  beholds  it  in  the  noblest  of  God's  creatures — in 
man,  and  that  in  his  earliest  development — in  the  faltering  accents 
of  sucklings,  (v.  3.)  The  dominion  of  the  Spirit  makes  itself 
known  in  the  faculty  of  speech;  herein  man  resembles  God;  and 
makes  him  the  priest  and  king  of  nature,  the  head  of  the  visible 
creation,  (v.  4 — 9.) 

1  fPO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  of  Gath,  A  Psalm 
JL        of  David. 

2  0  LORD  our  Lord, 

How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth ! 
Who  hast  set  thy  glory  above  the  heavens. 


82  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

3  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 

Hast  thou  ordained  strength  (prepared  for  thyself  an 

army)^ 

Because  of  thine  enemies, 
That  thou  mightest  still  the  enemy  and  the  adversary. 

4  When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
The  moon  and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast  prepared ; 

5  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 
And  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ? 

6  For  thou  hast  made  him  a  little  lower  than  God, 
And  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honour. 

7  Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of 

thy  hands ; 
Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet : 

8  All  sheep  and  oxen, 

Yea,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field ; 

9  The  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea, 

And  whatsoever  passeth  through  the  paths  of  the  seas. 
10  0  LORD  our  Lord, 

How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth ! 

V.  2.  We  see  the  Psalmist,  lost  in  the  contemplation  of  the 
brilliancy  of  the  skies,  which  seems  to  eclipse  everything  else,  turn 
back  to  the  earth  and  himself.  Some  in  gazing  upon  the  splen- 
dour of  the  heavens  forget  the  glories  of  earth,  and  others  absorbed 
in  the  glory  of  earth  have  no  eyes  for  the  majesty  of  heaven. 
David  adopts  the  proper  course,  in  using  the  infinity  of  heaven  as 
a  means  of  expressing  with  deeper  humility  his  gratitude  to  God 
for  what  he  possesses  on  earth.  Had  he  felt  inclined  to  speak  of 
the  glories  of  the  earth,  he  might  have  referred  to  the  immeasura- 
ble deep,  to  the  heads  of  the  everlasting  hills,  to  the  wonders 
above  and  the  wonders  below,  to  leviathan  in  the  waters  and  the 
unicorn  in  the  desert.  (Job  xxxix.  xli.)  If  he  had  enumerated 
all  these,  he  would  still  have  omitted  that  handiwork  of  God, 
wherein  the  brightest  effulgency  of  his  glory  is  to  be  found — man 
created  in  the  image  of  God. 

V.  3.  He  regards  man  from  his  tender  infancy,  and  from  the 
first  traces  of  awakening  mind.  The  strength  which  God  has  pre- 
pared for  himself  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  we  cannot  refer  to  any- 
thing characteristic  of  infancy  except  the  faculty  of  speech :  it  is 
no  objection  to  this  view  that  "babes  and  sucklings"  are  men- 
tioned; for  the  word  in  the  original  for  "babes,"  describes  those 
that  are  able  to  walk,  (see  Lam.  i.  5,)  and  Hebrew  mothers  used 
to  suckle  their  infants  down  to  their  third  year.  The  Psalmist, 
therefore,  though  naming  sucklings,  may  nevertheless  think  of 


PSALM   VIII.  83 

their  faculty  of  speech.  That  faculty  of  speech,  which  indicates 
the  existence  of  mind  in  even  the  tender  age  of  childhood  (not  to 
make  mention  of  other  marvels  belonging  to  the  world  of  children,) 
is  a  veritable  army  of  God  against  his  adversaries,  against  those 
that  would  deprive  him  of  the  glory  which  is  his  due.  The 
Psalmist  seems  to  have  chosen  his  justification  of  God  against  his 
adversaries  from  the  marvels  of  infant  age,  because,  as  nature  and 
history  combine  to  show,  Divine  omnipotence  takes  a  peculiar 
delight  to  confound  his  enemies  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  weak 
and  unseemly.  Our  Lord  cited  this  very  expression  of  the 
Psalmist,  when  the  high  priests  and  scribes  were  displeased  with 
tine  children,  crying  in  the  temple,  "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David:"  and  when  they  said,  "  Hearest  thou  what  these  say?" 
Jesus  replied,  "Yea,  have  ye  never  read,  out  of  the  mouth  of 
babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?"  (Matt.  xxi.  16.) 
As  though  he  had  said,  Has  not  Divine  omnipotence  always  held 
the  little  ones  and  the  unseemly,  worthy  of  the  dignity  to  herald 
forth  and  testify  to  kis  glory,  when  the  great  ones  of  the  earth 
have  arrogantly  despised  it  ? 

F.  4 — 6.  The  silence  of  the  Psalmist  about  the  noblest  lumi- 
nary of  heaven — the  sun — reference  being  made  to  the  moon  and 
the  stars  only,  has  led  to  the  just  inference  that  he  composed  this 
psalm  at  night.  The  transparent  clearness  of  the  eastern  nocturnal 
sky,  and  the  splendour  of  its  stars,  are  far  superior  to  ours.  He 
calls  the  heavens  "  the  work  of  God's  fingers,"  to  designate  it  as  a 
work  of  art  immeasurably  beyond  any  work  of  art  prepared  by 
human  fingers.  It  is  said  in  the  book  of  Job  (xxxvi.  29,  xxxviii. 
33,)  "  Can  any  understand  the  spreading  of  the  clouds,  or  the 
noise  of  his  tabernacle?"  "  Knowest  thou  the  ordinances  of 
heaven?  Canst  thou  set  the  dominion  thereof  in  the  earth?  He 
then  speaks  of  the  rulers  of  night — the  moon  and  the  stars,  which 
certainly  impress  us  with  a  more  profound  sense  of  the  majesty  of 
God  than  the  sun  himself,  seeing  that  they  spread  away  on  the 
illimitable  expanse  of  heaven,  and  enter  into  distances  more  remote 
than  human  eye  can  scan.  "Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and 
behold  who  hath  created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out  their  host 
by  number :  he  calleth  them  all  by  names,  by  the  greatness  of  his 
might,  for  that  he  is  strong  in  power;  not  one  faileth."  (Isaiah 
xl.  26.) 

V.  5 — 7.  If  such  riches  of  splendour  and  majesty  are  shed  on 
the  heavens  above  till  lost  in  infinity,  who  would  expect  to  find 
the  same  glorious  God  on  earth?  We  must  not  suffer  our  eyes  to 
get  so  dazzled  with  the  splendours  aloft,  that  we  become  insensible 
to  the  recognition  of  the  mercy  and  glory  of  God,  with  which  his 
paths  on  earth  are  overflowing.  Would  God  be  as  great  as  he  is, 
if  he  were  only  great  in  the  heights  but  not  in  the  depths — in  the 
great  but  not  in  the  small  ?  He  has  created  man  in  his  image  on 


84  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

earth ;  how  then  can  that  earth  be  mean  over  which  He  has  placed 
his  image  as  king  and  ruler  ?  David  alludes  to  the  ancient  record 
which  says,  "  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness  : 
and  let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the 
fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth."  When 
at  the  close  of  the  sixth  day  the  earth  stood  arrayed  in  her  spring 
garments,  swelling  with  riches  on  her  surface  and  in  her  depths, 
with  flocks  on  her  plains,  beasts  in  her  forests,  birds  in  the  air, 
fish  in  the  waters,  the  treasury  of  metals  in  her  bowels,  standing 
like  a  temple  waiting  for  its  priest — God  created  man  and  insti- 
tuted him  priest  in  that  temple.  The  word  of  God  gave  existence 
to  everything  else;  but  into  man  he  breathed  his  Spirit,  and  made 
him  by  the  light  of  his  reason  and  the  holiness  of  his  will  hi?  rep- 
resentative before  his  other  creatures  on  earth.  While  others  get 
conscious  of  this  dignity  in  pride  and  haughtiness,  David,  lost  in 
meek  admiration,  adores  his  Lord. 

F.  8,  9.  This  king  of  the  earth  enters  his  realm  as  weak,  as 
naked,  and  helpless  as  any  other  creature,  «<id  is  not  adult  man, 
externally  considered,  the  most  defenceless  of  creatures?  The  lion 
has  his  tooth,  the  crocodile  its  coat  of  mail,  the  birds  their  wings, 
the  fish  their  fins;  but  which  is  mac's  weapon  for  attack,  which  his 
shield  for  defence?  The  Spirit  from  God:  therefore  all  must 
obey  him.  The  cattle  on  the  pastures,  wild  beasts  roaming  the 
forest,  birds  flyi-ng  below  the  expanse  of  heaven,  fish  swimming  in 
the  depths  of  the  sea,  they  all  must  obey  him — man  is  their  lord 
and  king.  Aye,  if  our  hearts  were  in  that  condition  and  relation 
to  God,  in  which  fchey  ought  to  be,  (the  relation  of  feudal  lord  and 
feudal  servant,)  every  new  victory  which  we  gain  over  surround- 
ing nature,  every  sacrifice  offered  to  us  by  the  animal  or  vegetable 
kingdoms,  by  the  depths  of  the  sea  or  the  entrails  of  mountains, 
and  which  subserve  to  our  nourishment  or  clothing,  the  produce  of 
art  or  the  inquiries  of  science,  would  elicit  psalms  of  gratitude  and 
praise  from  our  hearts.  Is  not  our  outward  helplessness  and  indi- 
gence by  the  side  of  our  inward  strength  and  riches,  a  powerful 
admonition  that  these  goods  are  the  gifts  of  Divine  munificence  ? 
But  elated  by  arrogance  the  feudal  servant  has  rebelled  against  his 
feudal  lord.  We  ought  to  consider  ourselves  servants,  but  rise  as 
independent  lords  of  creation;  we  ought  to  be  the  priests  of  God, 
re-offering  to  him,  and  using  for  his  glory,  whatsoever  his  creation 
has  provided  for  us,  but  have  become  idolaters,  worshipping  the 
idols  of  our  own  selves.  It  is  one  of  the  effects  of  that  rebellion, 
that  our  royal  sceptre  became  broken,  and  that  only  a  fragment  of 
it  remains  in  our  hands.  Although  a  great  portion  of  creation 
yields  even  now  to  the  inquiries,  and  is  submissive  to  the  will  of 
man,  our  present  knowledge  and  power  are  but  poor  fragments  of 
the  glory  which  we  were  originally  destined  to  enjoy.  Though  by 
the  aid  of  multiform  art  and  means  we  succeed  in  the  subjugation 


PSALM   IX.  85 

of  a  portion  of  nature,  we  cannot  but  feel  how  remote  is  our 
dominion  from  that  of  which  it  is  said,  "  He  spake  and  it  was 
done,  he  commanded  and  it  stood  fast."  The  presentiment  of 
such  a  dominion  has  again  been  experienced  since  the  time  when 
we  beheld  the  perfect  image  of  God  on  earth,  who  by  the  simple 
act  of  his  holy  will  could  quench  disease,  sway  his  sceptre  over 
death,  command  the  storm,  and  walk  on  the  waves  of  the  deep. 
The  Son,  who  alone  is  free  indeed,  can  make  us  free  too.  (John 
viii.  36.)  This  is  the  reason  why  this  passage,  that  "  All  things 
are  put  under  his  feet,"  is  applied  in  the  New  Testament  to  him, 
in  whom  God  and  man  were  manifested  in  perfect  unity.  (1  Cor. 
xv.  27.) 

V.  10.  The  Psalmist  concludes  with  the  same  exulting  praise 
with  which  he  began;  and  on  comparing  the  conclusion  with  the 
beginning  we  find,  that  David  mainly  contemplated  the  celebration 
of  the  glory  of  God  on  earth. 


PSALM  IX. 


A  PSALM  of  thanksgiving,  followed  by  new  complaint.  So  in 
Psalm  xxxi.  8,  9,  complaint  is  preceded  by  joyous  hope  and  (v.  15) 
again  succeeded  by  resignation,  (cf.  Ps.  xl.)  Transitions  of  this 
kind  will  not  surprise  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  ways  of  our 
inner  life  and  experienced  in  the  school  of  prayer.  The  heart  of 
man  is  in  hours  of  tribulation  like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock,  which 
oscillates  from  the  right  to  the  left — now  from  God,  then  to  him; 
or  like  a  wave — now  rising,  now  falling,  now  elevated  by  hope, 
now  crushed  by  despair.  The  history  of  David  yields  incidents 
which  may  more  clearly  explain  the  triumph  in  the  first  part,  and 
the  complaint  and  supplication  in  the  second  part,  of  this  psalm. 
When  David  had  led  his  armies  victoriously  against  the  kings  of 
Syria  in  the  north,  and  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  dominion, 
the  Bedouin  tribes  of  the  Edomites  embraced  the  opportunity  to 
invade  the  land  destitute  of  troops  from  the  south.  That  event 
also  occasioned  the  composition  of  Psalm  Ix.  We  shall  show  in 
the  introduction  to  that  psalm,  that  that  event  must  have  been 
very  disastrous  and  perilous  to  David's  kingdom,  as  the  hostile 
army  might  have  reached  the  capital  after  a  march  of  two  or  three 
days.  Assuming  the  composition  of  the  psalm  to  have  taken  place 
at  that  crisis,  both  the  triumph  at  the  beginning  and  the  complaint 
and  supplications  towards  the  end  are  sufficiently  explained.  Diffi- 
culties arise,  however,  from  Psalm  x.  which  in  many  points,  chiefly 
towards  the  close;  so  strongly  resembles  Psalm  ix.  that  it  might 
8 


86  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

almost  be  regarded  (especially  because  it  has  no  title,)  as  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  latter,  or  at  least  be  referred  to  the  same  period 
and  the  same  author.  But  it  seems  less  admissible  to  refer 
Psalm  x.  to  the  oppression  of  the  country  by  the  invading  hosts  of 
the  Edomites,  because  it  seems  rather  to  speak  of  anarchy  among 
the  inhabitants  themselves :  again  it  seems  hardly  credible  that  if 
such  a  state  of  things  really  ever  existed  during  the  reign  of  David, 
the  same  king  who  (Ps.  ci.  3 — 5)  so  emphatically  declares  his 
administration  of  justice,  should  instead  of  wielding  the  sword  of 
justice,  nevertheless  have  indulged  in  complaints  like  those  in 
Psalm  x.  It  will  be  seen  in  the  introduction  to  Psalm  x.  that 
those  difficulties  may  be  overcome,  and  paying  special  regard  to 
Ps.  x.  16,  it  will  after  all  be  the  best  plan  to  refer  Psalm  x.  to 
the  same  event. 

The  one  experience  of  God's  victorious  aid  against  his  enemies, 
which  David  celebrates  (v.  2 — 7,)  causes  him,  like  a  pious  man,  to 
revert  to  the  everlasting  truth,  that  ttfe  Lord  rules  the  world  in 
righteousness,  (v.  8 — 13.)  Strengthened  by  this  thought,  he  prays 
the  more  trustfully,  that  the  Governor  of  the  world  would,  under 
the  present  national  calamity,  protect  the  rights  of  the  oppressed, 
lest  impotent  man  should  deem  himself  stronger  than  Him  who 
has  declared  himself  as  the  Refuge  of  Israel. 

1  rPO  the  chief  Musician  to  the  tune,  "Death  to  the  son/' 
JL     A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  I  will  praise  thee,  0  Lord,  with  my  whole  heart ; 
I  will  show  forth  all  thy  marvellous  works. 

3  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  thee : 

I  will  sing  praise  to  thy  name,  0  thou  Most  High, 

4  Because  mine  enemies  are  turned  back, 
And  did  fall  and  perish  at  thy  presence. 

5  For  thou  hast  maintained  my  right  and  my  cause ; 
Thou  satest  in  the  throne  judging  right. 

6  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  heathen, 
Thou  hast  destroyed  the  wicked, 

Thou  hast  put  out  their  name  for  ever  and  ever. 

7  The  destructions  of  the  enemy  are  come  to  a  perpetual  end : 
And  thou  hast  destroyed  their  cities ; 

Their  (the  enemies')  memorial  is  perished  with  them. 

8  But  the  LORD  shall  endure  for  ever : 

He  hath  prepared  his  throne  for  judgment. 

9  And  he  shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness, 

He  shall  minister  judgment  to  the  people  in  uprightness. 
10  The  LORD  also  will  be  a  refuge  for  the  poor, 
A  refuge  in  times  of  trouble. 


PSALM  IX.  87 

11  And  they  that  know  thy  name  will  put  their  trust  in  thee. 
For  thou,  LORD,  hast  not  forsaken  them  that  seek  thee. 

12  Sing  praises  to  the  LORD,  which  dwelleth  in  Zion : 
Declare  among  the  people  his  doings. 

13  When  he  maketh  inquiry  for  blood,  he  remembereth  them : 
He  forgetteth  not  the  cry  of  the  humble. 

14  Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  LORD  ; 

Consider  my  trouble  which  I  suffer  of  them  that  hate  me. 
Thou  that  liftest  me  up  from  the  gates  of  death : 

15  That  I  may  show  forth  all  thy  praise  in  the  gates  of  the 

daughter  of  Zion : 
I  will  rejoice  in  thy  salvation. 

16  The  heathen  are  sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they  made : 
In  the  net  which  they  hid  is  their  own  foot  taken. 

17  The  LORD  is  known  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth : 
The  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own  hands. 

Meditation !    Selah. 

18  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  Sheol, 
And  all  the  heathen  that  forget  God. 

19  For  the  needy  shall  not  alway  be  forgotten : 

The  expectation  of  the  poor  shall  not  perish  for  ever. 

20  Arise,  0  LORD  ;  let  not  man  prevail : 
Let  the  heathen  be  judged  in  thy  sight, 

21  Put  them  in  fear,  0  LORD  : 

That  the  heathen  may  know  themselves  to  be  but  men. 
Selah. 

F.  2 — 4.  Whenever  the  banners  of  his  army  wave  victoriously, 
or  the  frontiers  of  his  empire  get  extended,  David  seeks  the  theme 
of  his  praise,  not  in  his  own  feats  of  heroism,  nor  in  the  strategy 
and  valour  of  his  generals  and  people,  but  in  Jehovah.  He  calls 
the  deeds  of  his  God  marvellous  works.  In  proportion  to  the 
humility  of  the  recipient  of  Divine  favours  is  his  readiness  to 
regard  his  experiences  as  marvellous;  for  he  not  only  sees  God  in 
every  event,  but  deems  himself  utterly  unworthy  of  his  blessed 
experience.  The  proper  way  of  celebrating  our  victories  is  unques- 
tionably after  the  manner  of  David,  to  triumph  and  rejoice  in  God, 
and  to  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the  Most  High,  and  not  in  foolish 
reliance  on  our  own  strength  to  harden  our  hearts,  or  to  turn  giddy 
in  the  boast  of  our  wisdom  and  resources. 

V.  5 — 9.  While  other  heroes  acknowledge  only  blind  chance 
as  presiding  over  battle  fields,  and  dispensing  victory,  David  looks 
upon  the  scene  of  contest  as  a  judgment,  and  beholds  hovering 
above  it  the  judgment-seat  of  God,  on  which  the  Lord  of  lords  is 


88  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

enthroned,  of  whom  it  is  written,  "  He  changeth  the  times  and  the 
seasons :  he  removeth  kings  and  setteth  up  kings :  he  giveth 
wisdom  unto  the  wise,  and  knowledge  to  them  that  know  under- 
standing/' (Daniel  ii.  21.)  Confidence  of  this  kind  will  inspire 
armies  and  their  leaders  with  courage,  if  conscious  that  they  fight 
for  a  just  cause,  and  consider  the  battle-field  as  the  judgment-seat 
of  the  Euler  of  the  world.  Though  God  sometimes  permits  the 
just  cause  to  succumh,  and  the  unjust  to  triumph  in  the  scene  of 
action,  such  victories  are  only  transient;  and  if  but  the  holy  flame, 
lighted  by  the  consciousness  of  a  just  cause,  do  not  expire  in  the 
hearts  of  the  conquered,  are  sure  to  issue  in  the  final  subjugation 
of  unjust  powers.  Nay,  the  transient  defeats  of  those  engaged  in 
a  just  combat,  will  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  become  the  means 
of  fanning  their  courage  and  daring  to  a  brighter  flame,  and  then 
adduce  final  victory.  The  foe  had  but  lately  celebrated  his  triumphs, 
and  filled  the  cities  and  the  country  with  his  triumphal  shouts. 
Now  the  cities  lie  in  ruins,  the  mouth  of  the  haughty  silenced  in 
death;  and  the  Lord  has  shown  that  however  arrogant  may  be  the 
bearing  of  man,  no  human  power  can  ever  push  him  from  his 
throne.  Hence  David's  faith  infers,  from  this  single  act  of  God's 
judgment,  that,  however  much  human  circumstances  may  give  way 
and  the  righteous  be  crushed  under  foot,  the  Lord  will  continue  to 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  while  it  shall  last.  This  single 
assistance  of  God  in  the  past,  is  to  David  a  gate  through  which  he 
passes  with  intrepid  confidence  to  spread  before  the  Lord  his  com- 
plaints in  present  affliction. 

F.  10,  11.  The  victorious  king  knew  himself  but  recently  rich 
and  mighty,  but  aware  that  the  Lord  loves  to  humble  the  lofty,  he 
did  not  triumph  without  fear:  now  knowing  himself  poor  and 
oppressed,  he  is  of  good  courage,  aware  that  the  Lord  loves  to 
glorify  himself  in  their  seeking  him,  as  he  well  knew  from  his  own 
experience. 

F.  12, 13.  Praise  for  past  mercies  blends  with  that  of  hope  for 
the  future.  He  feels  sure  that  God,  who  has  called  himself  a  God 
"  of  great  faithfulness,"  will  not  at  that  time  become  untrue  to  his 
name,  provided  the  poor  seek  not  within  themselves  for  refuge,  but 
show  by  crying  to  Heaven  that  their  strength  is  of  God.  He  not 
only  calls  upon  himself,  but,  because  he  prays  for  a  national  cause, 
upon  all  the  people,  to  celebrate  the  praises  of  God  for  his  past  and 
future  mercies. 

F.  14, 15.  Prayer  succeeds  his  praise.  He  prays  in  faith  who 
calls  God,  "Thou  that  liftest  me  up  from  the  gates  of  death." 
That  name,  if  it  is  not  quoted  from  books,  but  learnt  in  the  school 
of  life,  and  actually  confirmed  by  multiform  experience,  will  be  like 
a  rock,  on  which  the  man  of  prayer  may  take  his  stand,  and  raised 
above  every  earthly  source  of  doubt,  know  that  he  is  more  near  to 


PSALM  X,  89 

heaven.  He  is  none  of  those  who  pray  in  distress  only,  but  omit 
to  pray  after  help  has  come :  no,  David  prays  for  help,  that  he  may 
show  forth  the  praise  of  God  in  louder  and  more  joyous  strains, 
in  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion,  viz.  in  those  gatherings  and 
assemblies  which  used  to  be  held  at  the  city-gates. 

F.  16, 17.  Faith  translates  the  future  into  the  present:  the  eye 
of  faith  sees  the  work  as  already  accomplished.  They  have  dug 
pits.  The  proposal  is  man's,  the  disposal  God's.  His  judgments 
which  are  daily  transpiring  within  our  sight,  but  are  noticed  by  the 
eye  of  faith  alone,  show  that  the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of 
his  own  hands,  and  caught  in  the  net  which  he  had  set  for  others. 
This  is  a  passage,  at  the  performance  of  which  song  ceased,  and  a 
musical  interlude  took  place  to  facilitate  the  meditation  which  is 
expressly  solicited.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  iii.  6.) 

V.  18,  19.  The  Psalmist  soars  from  the  separate  judgment  of 
the  heathen,  who  had  attacked  the  possession  of  God,  because  they 
had  forgotten  him,  to  the  hope  of  that  time  when  all  their  attacks 
shall  be  confounded,  and  the  hope  of  the  afflicted  saints  become 
visibly  manifest.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  vii.  10.) 

V.  20,  21.  David  invokes  the  mighty  arm  of  God  to  arise,  that 
the  heathen  may  know  the  God  of  Israel,  and  the  false  delusion  be 
destroyed  that  any  mortal  can  oppose  and  prevail  against  him. 
Indeed,  not  only  the  heathen,  but  we  all,  require  the  occasional 
powerful  manifestation  of  the  arm  of  God,  (for,  though  servants, 
we  are  given  to  the  delusion  that  we  are  lords,)  that  if  we  refuse 
to  get  softened  by  his  love,  he  humble  us  by  his  terrors. 


PSALM  X. 

WE  stated  in  the  introduction  to  Psalm  ix.  that  the  connection  of 
the  two  psalms  favours  the  view  which  refers  this  Psalm  to  the 
period  when  the  Edomites  invaded  the  country  then  stripped  of 
troops.  We  may  infer  from  the  customs  of  the  Edomite  Bedouins, 
that  previous  to  their  collecting  and  advancing  a  large  army,  sepa- 
rate hordes  had  invaded  the  southern  districts,  and  rapaciously 
spread  themselves.  We  learn  from  the  historic  records,  that  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  abduction  of  the  greater 
portion  of  its  inhabitants,  the  hostile  neighbouring  nations  invaded 
the  deserted  country,  and  Psalm  Ixxiv.  20  says,  that  the  whole 
country  was  filled  with  dens  of  robbers.  A  similar  condition  may 
have  ensued  from  the  invasion  of  the  Edomites  in  the  southern 
districts,  for  some  time  had  necessarily  to  elapse  before  the  army, 
8* 


90  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

which  David  had  sent  from  Syria,  headed  by  Joab  and  Abishai, 
could  reach  the  spot.  The  Wicked  are  indeed  described  in  terms 
which  would  better  apply  to  ungodly  Israelites,  but  the  heathen 
are  similarly  spoken  of  in  Psalms  Ixxiv.  10,  Ixxix.  10,  xciv.  7,  and 
it  was  but  natural  that  the  humiliation  of  the  nation  which  so  boldly 
boasted  of  the  protection  of  their  God,  should  pour  the  contempt 
of  the  heathen  on  him.  (Isaiah  xxxvii.  33.)  The  wicked  are  said 
(v.  7)  to  have  done  much  mischief  with  their  tongues,  which  cannot 
well  apply  to  hostile  troops.  Supposing  the  country  as  occupied 
for  some  time  by  the  Edomite  Bedouins,  it  is  a  fair  question  whe- 
ther their  intercourse  with  the  oppressed  people  might  not  have  led 
to  cursing  and  fraud,  deceit  and  overbearing  threats;  as  e.g.  Isaiah 
describes  the  Jews  complaining  against  Moab  :  "  We  have  heard  of 
the  pride  of  Moab,  he  is  very  proud :  even  of  his  haughtiness,  and 
his  pride,  and  his  wrath."  (Isaiah  xvi.  6.)  The  rapacity  which 
despises  God,  and  makes  its  lust  (arrogance)  its  God,  described  in 
verses  3,  4,  has  a  complete  parallel  in  what  Habakuk  says  of  the 
rapacity  of  the  Chaldeans:  "They  take  up  all  of  them  with  the 
angle,  they  catch  them  in  their  net  and  gather  them  in  their  drag; 
therefore  they  rejoice  and  are  glad.  Therefore  they  sacrifice  unto 
their  net,  and  burn  incense  unto  their  drag :  because  by  them  their 
portion  is  fat  and  their  meat  plenteous.  Shall  they  therefore  empty 
their  net,  and  not  spare  continually  to  slay  the  nations?"  (Hab.  i. 
15 — 17.)  Verse  8  needs  not  be  taken  literally,  as  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  figure  taken  from  a  robber;  but  if  the  Psalm  refers 
to  the  invasions  of  the  Edomites,  it  is  strikingly  illustrated  by 
enemies,  who  promiscuously  pitched  their  Bedouin  tents,  to  carry 
on  from  there  their  depredations.* 

The  psalm  begins  in  sorrowful  strains,  invoking  the  manifesta- 
tion of  Divine  justice,  because  the  rapacious  foe  makes  himself 
equal  to  God  and  heeds  not  his  judgments,  (v.  1 — 6.)  David 
separately  describes  the  violence  of  the  oppressors  as  seen  in  their 
speech  and  works,  and  states  that  the  delay  of  punishment  ren- 
dered their  obduracy  the  more  confirmed,  as  his  reasons  for  evoking 
the  righteousness  of  God,  (v.  7 — 11,)  and  bases  thereon  his  appeal 
to  the  Ruler  of  the  world,  (v.  12,  13,)  but  forthwith  gathers  such 
strength  of  confidence,  that  he  proclaims  with  undoubting  cer- 
tainty, that  the  Lord  will  also  at  this  time  show  that  he  is  the 
King  of  Israel,  (v.  14—18.) 

*  See  Morgenland  and  Abendland,  Stuttg.  1841,  vol.  ii.  p.  305,  which 
mentions  robberies  on  the  way  to  Jericho,  stating,  "That  here  more  than 
anywhere  else  cruelties  have  been  committed,  is  owing  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  savage  Bedouins,  who  pitch  their  moveable  camps  to  the  right  of  this 
road  along  the  Dead  Sea,  and  plunder  travellers  as  opportunities  present 
themselves."  The  Edomites  took  this  identical  road  from  the  south  along 
the  Dead  Sea.  Cf.  Introd.  to  Ps.  Ix.  and  Note  (*)  of  Introd.  to  Ps.  Ixxxiii. 


PSALM  X.  91 

1  TT7HY  standest  thou  afar  off,  0  LORD? 

VV       Why  hidest  thou  thyself  in  times  of  trouble? 

2  The  wicked  in  his  pride  doth  persecute  the  poor  : 
They  (the  poor)  are  taken  in  the  devices  that  they  (the 

wicked)  have  imagined. 

3  For  the  wicked  boasteth  of  his  heart's  desire, 

The  covetous  blesseth  it  (his  desire,)  and  contemneth 
the  LORD. 

4  The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of  his  countenance,  thinks 

Grod  will  not  punish. 
All  his  thoughts  are,  "  There  is  no  God." 

5  His  ways  are  always  prosperous, 

Thy  judgments  are  far  above  out  of  his  sight : 
As  for  all  his  enemies,  he  puffeth  at  them. 

6  He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  "  I  shall  not  be  moved: 
For  I  shall  never  be  in  adversity.5* 

7  His  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and  oppression  and  fraud : 
His  tongue  worketh  mischief  and  iniquity. 

8  He  sitteth  in  the  lurking  places  of  the  villages : 
In  the  secret  places  doth  he  murder  the  innocent : 
His  eyes  are  privily  set  against  the  poor. 

9  He  lieth  in  wait  secretly  as  a  lion  in  his  den : 
He  lieth  in  wait  to  catch  the  poor : 

He  doth  catch  the  poor,  when  he  draweth  him  into  his  net. 

10  He  croucheth,  an^humbleth  (or  "stoopeth  down")  him- 

self, 
That  the  poor  may  fall  by  his  strong  ones  (claws.) 

11  He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  "God  hath  forgotten: 
He  hideth  his  face,  he  will  never  see  it." 

12  Arise,  0  LORD  ;  0  God,  lift  up  thine  hand : 
Forget  not  the  afflicted. 

13  Wherefore  doth  the  wicked  contemn  God  ? 

He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  "Thou  wilt  not  require  it." 

14  Thou  hast  seen  it; 

For  thou  beholdest  mischief  and  spite ;  thou  markest  it 

on  thine  hand : 

The  poor  committeth  himself  unto  thee ; 
Thou  art  the  helper  of  the  fatherless. 

15  Break  thou  the  arm  of  the  wicked  and  the  evil  man : 
Seek  out  his  wickedness  till  thou  find  none. 

16  The  LORD  is  King  for  ever  and  ever : 
The  heathen  are  perished  out  of  his  land. 


92  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

17  LORD,  thou  hast  heard  the  desire  of  the  afflicted, 
Thou  wilt  strengthen  their  heart, 

Thou  wilt  cause  thine  ear  to  hear : 

18  To  judge  the  fatherless  and  the  oppressed. 

That  man,  who  is  of  the  earth,  may  no  more  resist  thee. 

F.  1.  We  are  prone,  when  misfortune  and  helplessness  oppress 
us,  to  regard  God  as  standing  afar  off,  because  goodness  and  power 
belong  to  his  being;  nor  unjustly  so,  for  however  much  the  pre- 
sence of  God  within  us  may  strengthen  our  hearts  in  desperate 
circumstances,  the  existence  of  outward  trouble  is  always  a  sign 
that  our  unity  with  God  is  not  yet  completely  established  nor  mani- 
fested in  its  last  effects,  which,  however,  can  never  take  place  on 
earth. 

V.  2,  3.  Where  wickedness  has  led  to  victory  and  proud  lust 
gained  its  end,  is  it  matter  of  surprise  that  they  who  already  are  at 
open  rebellion  with  God  make  their  own  pride  their  god,  and  pay 
to  it  the  sacrifices  which  rightfully  belong  to  the  Ruler  of  the 
world?  It  becomes  thus  manifest  that  the  work  of  the  wicked 
cannot  well  prosper  without  leading  to  the  idolatry  of  sin  and  the 
contempt  of  God.  David  feels  himself  justified  to  call  the  Almighty 
to  action. 

'V.  4.  Though  gross  offenders  do  not  always  verbally  deny  the 
existence  of  God,  such  denial  is  virtually  involved  in  the  disbelief 
of  God's  punitive  justice.  To  believe  in  the  God  of  heaven  above 
and  not  to  be  afraid  of  his  judgment  to  come,  does  it  signify  any- 
thing  else  than  the  denial  of  the  very  attribute  which  causes  the 
pious  to  bend  their  knees  before  him  ?  If  God  were  really  confined 
to  heaven,  as  the  wicked  says  in  Job  xxii.  18,  14,  "How  doth 
God  know?  can  he  judge  through  the  dark  cloud?  Thick  clouds 
are  a  covering  to  him,  that  he  seeth  not;  and  he  walketh  in  the 
circuit  of  heaven;"  who  would  feel  inclined  to  pray  to  so  Epicu- 
rean a  God,  and  pay  to  him  the  sacrifices  of  obedience  and  thanks- 
giving? 

F.  5,  6.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  in  isolated  instances,  at  least, 
the  judgments  of  God  keep  for  a  long  time  remote  from  the 
wicked :  hence  the  arrogance  of  his  appearance  and  the  delusion  of 
his  security  for  the  future.  God,  as  is  here  stated,  often  suffers  the 
works  of  the  wicked  to  prosper  for  a  long  time,  but  he  suffers  it 
solely  that  the  fall  from  his  height  be  the  more  terrific,  and  he 
share  the  fate  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  in  whose  fall  the  people  thus 
rejoiced:  "How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  0  Lucifer,  Son  of  the 
Morning!  how  art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground,  which  didst 
weaken  the  nations!"  (Isaiah  xiv.  12.) 

F.  7 — 11.  The  Psalmist  now  details  the  violence  of  the  enemy. 
His  aim  is  to  assure  the  hearts  of  the  pious  that  the  display  of 


PSALM  XI.  93 

God's  power  will  eventually  take  place.  He  describes  the  haughty 
derisions  and  threats  of  the  tongue,  which  victorious  and  oppres- 
sive nations  are  wont  to  utter  against  the  oppressed — pictures  them 
as  robbers  hid  in  the  lurking  places  of  the  villages,  and  as  lions 
lying  in  ambush  in  their  dens  to  catch  unwary  passers  by.  They 
would  refrain  from  such  conduct  if  they  did  believe  in  a  God  who 
will  never  forsake  his  children,  and  whose  eyes  are  always  looking 
upon  the  earth.  (Psalm  xi.  4.) 

F.  12 — 14.  David  now  calls  upon  God  to  bring  their  contemp- 
tuous speech  to  nought  and  their  untruth  to  light :  he  asserts  his 
remoteness  from  such  unbelief,  and  his  conviction  that  every 
oppression  of  the  afflicted  is  actually  inscribed  upon  the  hand  of 
God.  He  derives  great  consolation  from  the  very  attributes  by 
which  God  has  described  himself,  as  when  e.  g.  he  calls  himself 
"  The  helper  of  the  fatherless."  The  poor  may  confidently  commit 
their  cause  to  him,  not  only  as  their  wisest  Advocate,  but  as  their 
Father ',  as  the  Father  of  all  who  have  no  father  on  earth. 

F.  15,  16.  Animated  by  this  faith  he  confidently  asserts  that  the 
arm  of  strength,  now  defyingly  set  against  heaven,  will  be  broken. 
He  finds  not  sufficient  protection  and  consolation  for  his  people  in 
his  own  royal  dignity,  but  the  Lord  is  king  for  ever  and  ever.  He 
knows  how  to  preserve  his  faithful  subjects  and  to  expel  the  hea- 
then. 

F.  17,  18.  Behold!  how  his  faith  is  changed  into  sight.  His 
prayer  is  heard,  God  himself  has  put  the  holy  assurance  into  his 
heart.  The  Lord  in  heaven  will  know  how  to  justify  his  glory 
against  the  resistance  of  man  whose  home  is  the  earth. 


PSALM  XI. 

A  PSALM  of  comfort,  replete  with  filial  trust,  and  clearly  referring 
to  the  period  of  Saul's  persecution.  David  sought  and  found  an 
asylum  for  a  great  portion  of  these  years  of  anguish  in  the  high 
mountains  of  the  wilderness  of  Judah  not  far  from  the  Dead  Sea. 
As  he  said  to  Saul:  "The  king  of  Israel  is  come  out  to  seek  a  flea, 
as  when  one  doth  hunt  a  partridge  in  the  mountains."  Saul  had 
pursued  him  to  the  rocks  of  the  wild  goats,  i.  e.  to  the  highest 
peaks,  scaled  by  the  wild  goats  only.  It  accords  with  history  that 
David's  enemies  address  him  (v.  1)  in  the  plural,  for  during  the 
latter  period  of  his  flight  he  had  six  hundred  faithful  companions 
about  him. 

The  beginning  of  the  psalm  seems  to  indicate  that  it  was  com- 
posed when  David  was  on  the  plains,  perhaps  in  some  town  or 


94  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

other,  and  that  this  speech  proceeded  either  from  well-meaning 
friends  or  mocking  enemies.  Indignantly  but  in  childlike  confi- 
dence, and  sure  of  his  eternal  foundation  in  God,  he  rebuts  the 
supposition  of  a  cowardly  flight,  though  he  confesses  that  the 
wicked  invoke  heaven  and  earth  against  the  upright,  and  that  his 
own  resources  are  exhausted,  (v.  1 — 3.)  But  he  is  sure  that  the 
Holy  Lord  sits  enthroned  as  a  spectator  of  these  earthly  tumults 
and  commotions,  who,  though  satisfied  with  looking  on  for  a  time, 
will  eventually  reveal  himself  as  judge,  (v.  4 — 7.) 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  In  the  LORD  put  I  my  trust : 

How  say  ye  to  my  soul,  "Flee  as  a  bird  to  your  moun- 
tain ?" 

3  For,  lo,  the  wicked  bend  their  bow, 

They  make  ready  their  arrow  upon  the  string, 
That  they  may  privily  shoot  at  the  upright  in  heart. 

4  If  the  foundations  be  destroyed, 
What  can  the  righteous  do? 

5  The  LORD  is  in  his  holy  temple, 
The  LORD'S  throne  is  in  heaven: 

His  eyes  behold,  his  eyelids  try,  the  children  of  men. 

6  The  LORD  trieth  the  righteous  : 

But  the  wicked,  and  him  that  loveth.  violence,  his  soul 
hateth. 

7  Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain  lightnings, 
Fire  and  brimstone,  and  a  burning  tempest : 
This  shall  be  the  portion  of  their  cup. 

8  For  the  righteous  LORD  loveth  righteousness ; 
The  upright  behold  his  countenance. 

V.  2.  The  well-meant  counsel  of  unbelieving  friends  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  wicked,  that  should  they  succeed  to  deprive 
David  of  his  God,  he  himself  would  be  delivered  into  their  hand, 
seemed  to  combine  to  drive  him  into  despair.  Firm  of  heart  he 
heads  this  psalm  with  the  confession,  "  In  the  Lord  put  I  my  trust," 
repelling  thereby  every  temptation  of  hesitancy  and  fear.  He  had 
frequently  sought  an  asylum  on  mountain  heights,  in  caverns  and 
chasms,  against  the  pursuing  storm.  But  here  he  means  to  say, 
that  though  having  used  every  earthly  means  for  safety,  his  confi- 
dence was  not  based  on  them,  but  on  the  eternal  foundation  of 
God  in  heaven.  The  wicked  seek  to  grieve  him  by  saying,  that 
in  the  time  of  danger  he  knew  no  better  refuge  than  that  of  the 
hunted  bird,  which  tremblingly  flies  from  the  reach  of  man  into 


PSALM   XI.  95 

the  thicket  of  mountain  woods.  His  bold  faith  despises  his 
despisers  and  reproaches  them  for  only  knowing  earthly  mountains, 
but  being  utterly  ignorant  of  the  Rock  of  Ages,  of  that  God  "who 
was  before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  the  earth  and  the 
world  had  been  formed,  even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting/' 
(Psalm  xc.  1.)  He  says  that  he  used  to  to  confide  in  the  Eternal 
Rock  even  in  those  days,  when  he  sought  for  shelter  and  refuge 
on  the  mountains  of  earth.  For  the  godly  in  the  use  of  earthly 
means  ever  remember  that  "  except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they 
labour  in  vain  who  build  it;  except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the 
watchman  waketh  but  in  vain."  (Psalm  cxxvii.  1.)  In  tilling  the 
soil  they  say,  "The  one  planteth,  the  other  watereth,  but  God 
giveth  the  increase."  (1  Cor.  iii.  7.)  Engaging  in  battle  they  cry, 
"The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon,"  (Judges  vii.  20,)  for 
whenever  Gideon  is  placed  before  the  sword  of  the  Lord,  idolatry 
will  ensue  and  the  blessing  vanish. 

V.  8,  4.  David  shows  why  a  feeble  heart  may' be  filled  with 
hesitancy.  The  malice  of  the  wicked  not  only  stalks  about  in 
broad  noonday,  but  they  shoot  their  arrows  at  the  godly  in  secret 
and  in  the  dark.  Thus  the  persecutions  of  the  suspicious  king 
equally  embraced  stratagem  and  open  violence.  David  complains 
that  the  foundations  are  destroyed,  for  no  prerogative  whether 
Divine  or  human  could  any  longer  secure  him  against  enmity  unto 
death,  (i.  e.  of  Saul.)  When  even  kings  disregard  justice  and 
use  the  power  conferred  upon  them  not  for  the  quenching  but  for 
the  practice  of  tyranny,  what  is  the  righteous  to  do? 

V.  5.  Because  all  the  resources  of  David  are  gone,  and  there 
is  no  helper  for  him  on  earth,  he  directs  his  looks  to  heaven.  It 
is  the  chief  evidence  of  our  faith,  to  look  to  heaven  for  the  light 
of  salvation  when  darkness  surrounds  us  here  on  earth.  This 
seems  easy;  for  almost  all  confess  to  the  belief  that  God  governs 
the  world;  but  when  hard  and  unheard  of  afflictions  scatter  uni- 
versal gloom  around  us,  very  few  indeed  are  able  to  retain  this 
faith  as  the  anchor  of  their  soul.  David's  faith  is  immovable  :  he 
knows  that,  however  much  justice,  faith,  and  confidence  may  seem 
to  have  fled  from  the  earth,  he  continues  holy  and  unchangeable 
on  his  heavenly  throne,  who  is  able  in  a  moment  to  reverse  the 
most  desperate  condition.  The  Governor  of  the  world  apparently 
suffers  "men  to  be  as  the  creeping  things  that  have  no  ruler  over 
them,"  (Hab.  i.  14,)  but  David  is  sure  that  the  Keeper  of  Israel 
neither  sleepeth  nor  slumbereth",  that  his  eyes  behold  and  his  eye- 
lids try  the  children  of  men,  and  that  he  will  never  suffer  the 
eternal  boundaries  which  separate  right  from  wrong  to  be  effaced. 

V.  6 — 8.  Now  if  the  eternal  boundaries  of  right  and  wrong  can 
never  be  effaced  from  the  memory  of  God,  and  if  according  to  this 
eternal  law  he  distinguishes  between  the  godly  and  the  ungodly, 
(though  many  days  may  pass  before  him  in  whose  sight  a  day  is  as 


96  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

a  thousand  years,  till  liis  hour  come,)  that  hour  cannot  fail  to 
strike  nor  that  day  to  dawn,  when  he  will  effectively  manifest  that 
distinction  to  the  world.  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  with  their  fire 
and  brimstone,  the  burnt  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea,  as  David  beheld 
them  from  the  mountainous  heights  of  the  wilderness  of  Judah, 
along  with  numberless  separate  judgments  of  God  as  recorded  in 
history,  furnish  the  proofs  that  the  final  judgment  of  evil  cannot  fail 
to  come.  Because  God  is  righteous  and  loveth  righteousness,  says 
David,  therefore  the  day  must  come,  when  the  upright  shall  behold 
his  countenance  for  ever. 


PSALM  XII. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint,  composed  during  the  residence  of  David  at 
the  court  of  Saul,  when  haughty  hypocrites  threatened  to  destroy 
him  by  their  tongue.  (Of.  Introd.  to  Ps.  v.  and  lii.) 

He  begins  with  a  piteous  complaint  of  the  insolence  of  his  many 
opponents,  (v.  2 — 5.)  Because  to  him  applies  what  Paul  said 
concerning  himself,  "We  are  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair," 
(2  Cor.  iv.  8,)  and  because  in  spite  of  the  storm  which  troubles 
his  soul,  faith  has  cast  her  anchor  into  firm  ground,  the  prophetic 
word  of  God  rises  in  his  mind,  that  there  is  still  help  with  the 
Lord,  (v.  6.)  Based  on  this  word  of  God,  the  truth  of  which  can 
never  fail,  his  soul  gets  calmed,  and  he  concludes  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  profound  peace,  (v.  8,  9.) 

1  n^O  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  eighth  tune,  A  Psalm 
JL          of  David. 

2  Help,  LORD  ;  for  the  godly  man  ceaseth ; 

For  the  faithful  fail  from  among  the  children  of  men. 

3  They  speak  vanity  every  one  with  his  neighbour : 

With  flattering  lips  and  with  a  double  heart  do  they 
speak. 

4  The  LORD  shall  cut  off  all  flattering  lips, 
And  the  tongue  that  speaketh  proud  things : 

5  Who  have  said,  "  With  our  tongue  we  will  prevail ; 
Our  lips  are  our  own:  who  .is  lord  over  us?" 

6  "  For  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the 

needy, 

Now  will  I  arise,"  saith  the  LORD  ; 
"  I  will  set  him  in  safety  from  him  that  puffeth  at  him." 


PSALM   XII.  97 

7  The  words  of  the  LORD  are  pure  words : 

As  silver  tried  in  a  furnace  of  earth,  purified  seven  times. 

8  Thou  shalt  keep  them,  0  LOUD, 

Thou  shalt  preserve  them  from  this  generation  for  ever. 

9  The  wicked  walk  on  every  side, 

Like  the  rising  of  a  tempest  upon  the  sons  of  men. 

F.  2.  God  never  permits  the  entire  cessation  of  the  godly, 
though  the  masses  of  men  serve  Moloch,  Baal",  or  other  idols. 
There  remained,  even  in  those  days,  a  small  band  of  the  people  of 
G-od.  There  were  in  Israel,  Samuel  and  his  school  of  prophets 
faithful  to  God,  with  whom  David  took  refuge  when  Saul's  tyranny 
began  to  persecute  him  unto  death.  (1  Sam.  xix.  18.)  Among  the 
corrupt  courtiers  themselves  a  faithful  Jonathan  was  found.  The 
small  company  of  the  godly  seems  almost  to  vanish  among  the 
multitude  of  the  carelesss  and  impious — especially  when  they  get 
afraid.  It  happened  thus  to  David,  though  he  was  not  altogether 
devoid  of  courage,  for  he  states  in  this  passage  and  verses  6.  8, 
that  there  was  still  a  remnant  left.  Our  experience,  alas,  shows 
only  too  often  how  prone  we  are  in  desponding  moods  to  doubt  the 
existence  of  any  good  men  on  earth,  and  to  opine  that  the  Church 
has  never  seen  worse  times  than  ours.  The  example  of  David 
should  teach  us,  on  the  one  hand,  that  true  faith,  just  because  its 
glory  is  so  difficult  to  be  recognized  by  the  carnal  eye,  has  never 
been  more  general;  and  on  the  other,  that  it  (true  faith)  is  so 
indispensable  to  men,  that  the  generation  of  the  godly  has  never 
wholly  ceased. 

V.  3 — 5.  Realizing  the  condition  of  the  people,  with  whom  he 
daily  commingles,  he  denounces  their  hypocrisy  and  pride.  Where 
calumny  leads  to  gain,  as  was  the  case  at  the  court  of  Saul  (who 
incited  it  by  promised  reward,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  8,)  wicked  confidence 
in  a  lying  tongue  is  sure  to  exist  in  those  who  owe  their  prosperity 
to  their  wickedness,  and  who,  like  the  robber  in  Ps.  x.  3,  ascribe 
that  praise  to  their  tongue,  which  belongs  to  God.  Their  unbe- 
lieving delusion  emboldens  them  to  assert  that  they  are  masters  of 
their  destiny  and  to  disclaim  the  authority  of  the  Lord  in  heaven. 
Could  a  pious  man  like  David  be  the  spectator  of  such  atrocious 
conduct  without  supplicating  Heaven,  that,  however  much  the 
godly  might  be  willing  to  suffer  their  honour  to  be  laid  low,  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  would  not  suffer  them  with  impunity  to 
contemn  his? 

V.  6.  Hark!  the  Divine  voice  rises  from  the  lowest  chamber  of 
his  heart.  Faith,  nourished  by  the  word  of  God,  is  indeed  an 
oracle  within  us,  whose  voice  we  hear  in  every  gloomy  hour.  The 
oracle  proclaims  to  him  that  though  God  protract  his  vengeance, 
his  help  will  not  fail  for  ever. 

9 


98  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

V.  7.  He  seeks  to  strengthen  himself  with  his  consciousness  of 
the  infallibility  of  the  words  of  the  Lord,  by  comparing  them  with 
purest  silver  that  has  been  purified  seven  times.  The  peculiar 
emphasis  with  which  David  speaks  of  the  infallibility  of  this  Divine 
sentence,  renders  it  probable  that  we  must  regard  it  less  as  an 
intuition  of  his  faith,  as  they  o.ccur  elsewhere,  (Ps.  xii.  7; 
xxxvi.  1;  xlix.  5;  1.  7,  etc.')  than  the  prophetic  utterance  of  Sam- 
uel, Gad,  or  some  other  prophet.  We  feel  the  blessings  of  Scrip- 
ture passages  thus  inscribed  upon  the  heart,  when  in  hours  of 
affliction  and  just  at  the  right  moment,  faith  brings  them  to  our 
remembrance,  and  applies  them  to  the  confirmation  of  our  hopes. 
David,  as  a  prophet,  had  undoubtedly  experienced  the  utterance 
of  the  Divine  voice  in  his  own  heart;  but  history  adduces  likewise 
instances  which  show  that  he  derived  edification  from  the  words  of 
the  prophets.  The  oracle  from  which/  he  gathers  confidence 
(Ps.  Ix.  8.  10)  seems  to  point  to  a  similar  prophetic  communica- 
tion. 

V.  8.  Prayer,  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  always  compre- 
hends universal  need  in  the  particular,  and  the  pious,  in  praying 
for  himself,  actually  prays  for  all  the  pious.  So  David,  as  the 
representative  of  the  small  band  of  the  godly  in  his  time,  virtually 
prays  for  all  godly  men.  He  conceives  of  the  human  race  as 
divided  into  two  camps  and  two  generations,  the  one  of  whom  fight 
in  huge  masses  and  great  strength,  while  the  other,  though  small 
in  number  and  with  little  strength  of  their  own,  advance  under 
the  banner  of  that  God  who  has  promised  victory  to  the  righteous 
cause.  David  denies  not  that  the  generation  of  the  children  of 
this  world  enjoy  for  the  time  being  many  victories  and  great 
power,  and  even  owns  that  their  machinations  and  oppressions  fre- 
quently cause  the  earth  to  shake  as  from  an  earthquake,  and  so  to 
perplex  the  godly  that  he  hardly  knows  where  to  establish  himself. 
But  he  suffers  not  these  thoughts  to  weaken  his  courage,  provided 
the  gate  of  prayer  be  open,  and  the  small  and  oppressed  band  be 
sure  that  the  Mighty  God  is  on  their  side. 


PSALM  XIII. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint,  composed  when  persecution  had  raged  for 
a  long  time,  troubled  him,  and  made  his  enemy  more  overbearing. 
Hence  we  infer  that  it  belongs  to  the  latter  period  of  Saul's  perse- 
cution. 

The  complaint  of  this  psalm  is  one  of  gentle  grief,  expressing 
the  fear  that  the  enemy  will  after  all  prevail,  (v.  2 — 5.)     But  the 


PSALM   XIII.  99 

mercy  of  a  God,  who  is  ready  to  help,  once  more  consoles  David, 
who,  animated  by  this  hope,  publishes  his  praise,  (v.  7.) 

1  HMO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  How  long  wilt  thou  forget  me,  0  LORD  ? 

For  ever  ?  how  long  wilt  thou  hide  thy  face  from  me  ? 

3  How  long  shall  I  grieve  in  my  soul, 
Having  sorrow  in  my  heart  daily  ? 

.     How  long  shall  mine  enemy  be  exalted  over  me? 

4  Consider  and  hear  me,  0  LORD,  my  God: 
Lighten  mine  eyes,  lest  I  sleep  the  sleep  of  death ; 

5  Lest  mine  enemy  say,  I  have  prevailed  against  him ; 
And  those  that  trouble  me  rejoice  when  I  am  moved* 

6  But  I  have  trusted  in  thy  mercy ; 

My  heart  shall  rejoice  in  thy  salvation. 

7  I  will  sing  unto  the  LORD, 

Because  he  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  me. 

V.  2,  3.  The  anxious  question,  "How long?"  occurs  four  times; 
an  anxious  question,  familiar  to  those  who  have  like  David  been 
trained  in  the  school  of  sorrows.  If,  on  the  one  hand,  they  complain 
that  the  continuance  of  suffering  involves  a  greater  trial  than  its 
strength,  they  confess  on  the  other,  that  continued  heat  is  needed  to 
show  whether  the  plant  of  faith  be  deeply  rooted.  David  complains 
that  God  has  forgotten  him;  this  does  not  imply  that  faith  was 
really  extinct  in  his  soul  (for  the  end  of  this  Psalm  shows  his 
childlike  hope  in  God.)  Just  as  nobody  can  prevent  the  birds 
from  flying  to  his  head,  though  he  may  prevent  their  building  a 
nest,  so  probably  no  pious  man  could  ever  forbid  tempting  thoughts 
to  pass  transiently  through  his  soul  in  gloomy  hours,  when  all 
signs  of  the  nearness  of  God  were  absent.  David  at  once  corrects 
his  expression  by  stating  that  the  Lord  God  is  still  with  him,  and 
only  laments  his  inability  to  see  his  joy-giving  countenance.  Four 
times  he  raises  his  "How  long?"  We  ought  to  know  the  Divine 
reply.  It  ever  runs:  "  Till  thou  art  matured  in  the  heat  of  tribu- 
lation." 

V.  4,  5.  His  eye  is  already  dim  like  his  who  hastens  to  the 
grave.  (Cf.  Psalm  vi.  8.)  He  prays  that  he  may  not  sleep  the 
sleep  of  death.  He  cannot  brook  the  thought  that  his  enemy  has 
triumphed  over  him.  If  it  had  been  simply  his  own  cause  he 
could  have  borne  the  sting  thereof;  when,  however,  as  in  the  case 
of  David,  who  was  anointed  as  king  over  Israel,  and  in  this  respect 
hopefully  thought  of  by  the  small  band  of  his  pious  cotemporaries, 
(1  Sam.  xxv.  30,)  the  truth  of  God  itself  is  at  stake,  and  the  deri- 
sion of  the  wicked  applies  less  to  the  servant  of  God  than  to  the 


100  COMMENTARY   ON    THE   PSALMS. 

Lord  himself,  its  sting  is  unbearable  to  a  pious  heart.  However, 
as  the  godly  live  in  a  world  where  evil  of  every  kind  is  met  by  the 
long  suffering  of  God,  and  as  experience  shows  many  a  sanguinary 
Saul  transformed  into  a  Paul,  it  is  proper  that  they  should  strengthen 
themselves  against  such  trials  of  their  faith,  and  admire  the  long- 
suffering  of  God,  who  in  many  instances  permits  men  to  despise 
with  impunity  his  honour,  simply  because  his  love  will  give  the 
tare  the  chance  of  becoming  good  wheat.  It  was  doubtless  no 
small  trial  of  faith  when  Stephen,  the  first  martyr,  expired  beneath 
the  falling  stones,  and  Saul  witnessed  it  with  triumphant  joy. 
There  were  probably  even  at  that  time  some  Christians  present  who, 
in  their  zeal  for  the  honour  of  God,  were  praying  for  a  flash  of 
lightning  to  descend  on  the  head  of  Saul !  But  none  of  them  guessed 
what  the  Lord  had  decreed  in  his  eternal  counsel. 

V.  6,  7.  We  notice  again  that  David  founds  his  hope  neither 
on  his  merits  nor  on  his  just  cause,  "But  I  have  trusted  in  THY 
MERCY."  Oh,  that  the  struggling  mind  would  not  in  its  afflictions 
part  with  the  consciousness,  that  a  God  merciful  and  ready  to 
help  is  the  witness  of  all  the  spectacles  of  our  conflicts,  who  in  per- 
mitting them  to  continue  can  only  have  GRACIOUS  motives.  Thun- 
der and  lightning  are  as  yet  round  David  while  he  sings  his  songs 
of  praise ;  as  Luther  has  observed,  "  While  Satan  raged  around 
him  he  used  quietly  to  sing  his  little  psalm/' 


PSALM  XIV. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint.  It  is  doubtful  whether  v.  7  originally 
belongs  to  it.  It  was  probably  added  as  a  liturgical  expression 
during  the  Babylonish  captivity,  to  which  it  would  admirably 
apply,  (Psalm  liii.  with  some  variations,  still  more  expressly 
applies  to  it.)  This  seems  to  have  been  the  case  with  Psalms  xxv. 
xxxiv.  li.  Ixix.  The  final  words  of  the  Lord's  prayer,  according  to 
Matthew,  are  a  similar  liturgical  addition.  If  v.  7  belong  not  to 
this  psalm,  we  may  unhesitatingly  assume  that  David  composed  it 
at  the  court  of  Saul,  under  circumstances  similar  to  Psalm  xii. 
£Cf.  v.  1.)  But  if  it  do,  then  David  composed  it  as  king,  for  Zion 
is  mentioned  as  the  sanctuary  of  God.  In  the  latter  case  David, 
who  calls  himself,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,  "The  sweet  Psalmist  of 
Israel,"  may  have  composed  it  for  the  use  of  the  people  at  worship. 
There  is  certainly  this  objection.  In  Psalm  ci.  which  all  ascribe 
to  David,  he  says,  with  a  royal  sense  of  justice,  "He  that  worketh 
deceit  shall  not  dwell  within  my  house :  he  that  telleth  lies  shall 
not  tarry  in  my  sight.  I  will  early  destroy  all  the  wicked  of  the 
land,  that  I  may  cut  off  all  wicked  doers  from  the  city  of  the 


PSALM  XIV. 


101 


Lord/'  (Psalm  cvii.  7,  8.)  Now  is  it  probable  that  during  the 
reign  of  so  determined  a  ruler,  prevalence  of  the  ungodly  over  the 
people  of  God  could  have  been  affirmed  in  such  unqualified  terms  ? 
But  parcenetic  songs  at  public  worship,  do  not  so  much  describe 
the  actual  condition,  as  they  represent  the  general  relations  of  the 
wicked  to  the  godly,  which  renders  this  objection  by  no  means 
decisive.  Since,  however,  the  final  verses  of  several  psalms  appear 
to  belong  to  a  later  period,  and  there  are  other  peculiarities,*  we  in- 
cline to  the  view  which  regards  v.  7  as  a  liturgical  addition.  David 
states  here,  as  in  Psalm  xii.,  that  the  mass  of  men  have  forsaken 
God,  and  resist  his  true  servants,  (v.  1 — 3.)  He  prophecies  in  the 
name  of  God  their  certain  destruction,  (v.  4,  5,)  and  confidently 
assures  them  of  their  inability  to  prevail,  (v.  6.) 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  "  There  is  no  God." 
They  are  corrupt,  they  have  done  abominable  works, 
There  is  none  that  doeth  good. 

3  The  LORD  looked  down  from  heaven  upon  the  children 

of  men, 

To  see  if  there  were  many  that  did  understand,  and  ask 
for  God. 

4  They  are  all  gone  aside, 

They  are  all  together  become  filthy: 
There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one. 

5  "Have  all  the  workers  of  iniquity  no  knowledge? 
Who  eat  up  my  people  as  they  eat  bread, 

And  call  not  upon  the  LORD." 

6  There  were  they  in  great  fear : 

For  God  is  in  the  generation  of  the  righteous. 

7  Ye  have  shamed  the  counsel  of  the  poor, 
But  the  LORD  is  his  refuge. 

8  Oh,  that  the  salvation  of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion ! 
When  the  LORD  bringeth  back  the  captivity  of  his  people, 
Jacob  shall  rejoice,  and  Israel  shall  be  glad. 

V.  2.  The  Psalmist  inquires  for  the  reason  why  the  great  mass 
of  mankind  will  not  refrain  from  the  commission  of  sin  by  legal 
restraints  or  humane  considerations.  He  accounts  for  it  from  the 
fact  that  they  are  devoid  of  faith  in  the  living  God,  who  manifests 

*  We  allude  e.  g.  to  the  circumstance  that  in  Psalms  xxv.  and  xxxiv.  the 
respective  verses  successively  occur  in  the  order  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet, 
and  that  just  the  final  verses  of  both  psalms  go  beyond  the  last  letter  of 
the  alphabet. 
9* 


102  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

himself  by  his  judgments;  for  were  it  otherwise,  though  legal 
restraints  and  humane  considerations  cannot  effect  it,  yet  would 
their  fear  of  his  holy  eye,  and  his  unfailing  punishments,  set  a 
boundary  to  their  recklessness.  Inveterate  blindness  alone  can 
deny  the  existence  of  God,  when  nature  and  history  utter  their 
myriads  of  voices  to  the  contrary.  Hence  David,  and  the  Scrip- 
tures in  general,  call  the  denier  of  God  a  fool  and  a  madman, 
while  v.  2  assigns  wisdom  only  to  such  who  make  the  fear  of  the 
righteous  Judge  the  law  of  their  lives. 

F.  3,  4.  Since  the  unspeakable  long-suffering  of  God  permits 
months  and  years  to  elapse  before  we  read  in  the  destinies  of  man 
indisputable  marks  that  our  holy  God  lays  human  affairs  to  heart, 
David  represents  God  as  having  for  a  time  refrained  from  taking 
any  interest  in  the  world,  and  as  awakening  suddenly  to  the  exer- 
cise of  his  office.  Just  as  if  the  humble  followers  of  God  (v.  5) 
were  lost  to  his  sight,  and  his  eyes  were  only  resting  on  evil  doers. 
Their  sin  is  described  in  gradation.  They  do  not  understand, 
because  a  true  knowledge  of  things  divine  forms  the  basis  of  pro- 
per conduct  towards  God;  they  do  not  ask  for  God,  because  they 
only  care  for  him  whose  clear  and  sure  insight  apprehends  him  as 
their  highest  possession;  they  are  gone  aside,  because  he  who  cares 
not  for  him  is  sure  to  get  estranged  from  him,  and  to  deviate  from 
his  paths;  and  they  are  all  together  become  filthy,  (i.  e.  worthless,) 
because  man's  proper  strength  and  fitness  for  virtue  must  well  from 
the  fountain  of  communion  with  God. 

V.  5,  6.  As  in  Psalm  xii.  6,  the  believing  Psalmist  heard  the 
Divine  oracle  in  the  midst  of  earthly  confusion,  so  here.  So  Micah, 
the  prophet,  addresses  the  heads  of  Jacob,  and  the  princes  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  who  know  not  God,  "Who  also  eat  the  flesh  of  my 
people,  and  flay  their  skin  from  off  them;  and  they  break  their 
bones,  and  chop  them  in  pieces,  as  for  the  pot,  and  as  flesh  within 
the  caldron/'  (Micah  iii.  3.)  The  people  of  God  are,  as  shows  v.  5, 
and  other  passages,  (Ps.  xxiv.  6,  Ixxii.  2,  Ixxiii.  1,  cxii.  2;  Ezek. 
xiii.  9;  Jer.  vii.  23,  xxiv.  7,)  the  generation  of  the  righteous,  the 
true  Jacob  and  Israel  of  God.  (Psalm  Ixxiii.  1.)  When  the  Lord, 
whom  they  thought  firm  asleep,  shall  raise  his  voice,  and  they  shall 
perceive  that  he  is  awake,  and  that  he  will  in  his  own  time  show 
his  royal  sceptre  to  pride-intoxicated  man,  then  shall  terror  over- 
take them,  and  they  shall  find  that  they  did  not  strive  against  man 
but  against  God. 

F.  7.  David  now  addresses  the  haughty  mockers  of  the  simpli- 
city of  the  faithful,  who  in  their  misery  quietly  wait  for  God  as 
their  Saviour.  The  carnal  mind  thinks  nothing  more  foolish  than 
to  see  the  pious,  while  the  feet  of  wicked  men  crush  them  with 
impunity,  with  a  calmness  amounting  to  utter  disregard,  continue 
in  the  praise  of  God.  Would  faith  be  needed  if  the  heavens  were 
to  rend;  and  the  hand  of  God  to  appear  every  time  when  the  godly 


PSALM   XV.  103 

endure  violence?  Hence  the  godly  acquiesce  in  the  delays  of  God 
and  continue  to  confide  in  him,  though  their  own  counsel  come  a 
thousand  times  to  nought.  They  know  that  the  cessation  of  human 
counsel  gives  free  scope  to  the  Divine. 

F.  8.  The  expression,  "Bringeth  back  the  captivity  of  his 
people,"  does  not  by  any  means  always  refer  to  real  captivity,  of 
which  Psalm  Ixxxv.  furnishes  the  clearest  proof.  Then  after  deli- 
verance from  the  exile,  the  bringing  of  the  captivity  is  implored; 
many  passages  show  this  more  or  less  clearly.  (Psalm  cxlvi.  7; 
Job  xliii.  10;  Ezek.  xvi.  53,  cf.  55;  Zeph.  iii.  20;  Jer.  xxx.  18; 
Hos.  vi.  1. 11.)  Even  Deut.  xxx.  3,  is  to  some  extent  a  figurative 
expression,  which  serves  to  denote  the  turning  of  all  misery.  Since 
the  people  of  God  have  above  been  described  as  the  generation  of 
the  righteous,  these  words  may  convey  the  sense  that  David  implores 
the  aid  of  God  for  all  the  righteous  in  Israel  who  are  afflicted  and 
oppressed,  to  the  end,  that  the  whole  nation,  restored  and  renewed 
in  righteousness,  might  sing  praises  unto  the  Lord.  But  from  the 
similarity  of  the  final  verses  in  other  psalms,  it  is  better  to  regard 
this  last  verse  as  a  liturgical  addition  made  during  the  Babylonish 
captivity. 


PSALM  XV. 

THIS  festive  song  was  occasioned  by  David's  removing  the  ark 
of  the  covenant  from  Kirjath  Jearim  (according  to  Eusebius  between 
five  and  six  miles  from  Jerusalem,)  where,  since  its  return  from  the 
land  of  the  Philistines,  it  had  been  for  upwards  of  sixty  years,  in 
solemn  procession  to  Zion  the  seat  of  royalty.  (2  Sam.  vi.;  1  Chron. 
xiii.  14.)  The  rashness  of  Uzzah  had,  as  is  well  known,  for  a  time 
prevented  the  execution  of  the  design,  for  David,  terror-struck, 
took  the  ark  to  the  house  of  Obed-edom  the  Levite,  which  was  by 
the  roadside.  But  three  months  later  its  execution  took  place. 
The  solemn  procession  was  headed  by  priests  playing  the  cornet, 
followed  by  other  priests,  the  heads  of  the  tribes,  military  dignitaries, 
and  numerous  Levites  playing  harps,  psalteries,  timbrels,  cornets, 
and  cymbals.  David  in  a  linen  ephod,  and  dancing  to  the  rhythm 
of  the  music,  led  the  choir :  it  thus  moved  solemnly  from  the  house 
of  Obed-edom,  which  seems  to  have  been  near  to  Jerusalem,  to  the 
capital.  It  was  a  day  of  universal  joy  and  gratitude:  peace  offer- 
ings and  burnt  offerings  were  sacrificed  on  the  altars.  David 
blessed  the  people  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts;  and  to  increase 
the  flow  of  popular  joy,  he  distributed  meat  and  drink  among  them. 
Psalm  xxiv.  was  sung  on  the  same  occasion,  during  the  entrance 


104  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

of  the  procession  into  the  gates  of  the  royal  castle;  the  present 
Psalm  may  have  been  sung  either  on  the  road  or  in  the  interior  of 
the  castle.  This  was  a  rare  occasion  for  David,  "  the  sweet  Psalmist 
of  Israel/'  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,)  to  serve  the  congregation  of  God  with 
his  gifts  of  song :  so  Moses  accompanied  the  setting  forward  and 
resting  of  the  ark  (Num.  x.  85,  36)  with  pious  exclamations.  The 
antiquity  of  this  Psalm  and  of  Psalm  xxiv.  is  apparent  from  their 
being  quoted  in  Isaiah  xxxiii.  14 — 16. 

At  first  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  inseparable  from  the  taber- 
nacle; but  from  the  time  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Philistines 
it  returned  no  more  to  its  place,  i.  e.  Shiloh,  where  the  tabernacle 
was  at  that  time,  but  remained  at  Kirjath  Jearim,  in  the  house  of 
a  Levite.  David  built  a  tabernacle  for  it  on  Mount  Zion,  while 
the  tabernacle  with  the  holy  vessels,  and  especially  the  altar  of 
burnt  offering,  remained  at  Gibeon  (according  to  Josephus  about 
five  or  six  miles  from  Jerusalem.)  In  the  days  of  t  Saul  the  ark 
was  at  Nob,  the  city  of  the  priests,  close  to  Jerusalem  (see  ad.  Ps. 
v.  8;)  but  since,  at  Saul's  cruel  bidding,  the  priests  were  killed 
and  the  city  destroyed,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  18, 19,)  it  was  probably  then 
removed  to  Gibeon.  On  comparing  together  the  different  passages 
in  the  historic  books,  (2  Sam.  vi.  17;  1  Kings  iii.  15;  2  Chron.  i. 
4 — 6;  1  Chron.  xvi.,)  it  will  be  seen  that  both  the  tabernacle  for 
the  ark  on  Zion  and  the  tabernacle  of  the  covenant  had  their  priests, 
Levites,  and  porters,  and  that  services  were  held  in  both  places, 
though,  according  to  1  Chron.  xvi.  (xvii.)  40.  (cf.  4,  5.)  xxi.  (xxii.) 
28 — 30,  it  would  seem  chiefly  before  the  tabernacle  of  the  covenant. 
Respecting  the  question  which  of  the  two  tabernacles  is  meant  in 
those  Psalms  of  David  which  speak  of  the  tabernacle  or  the  house 
of  God  and  its  services,  we  must  presume  that  the  Israelites,  and 
therefore  the  Psalmist,  of  that  time  regarded  the  two  and  their 
services  as  one  whole,  as  did  the  ancient  churches  regarding  their 
baptistries;  for  the  tabernacle  on  Zion  represented  the  Holiest  of 
Holies,  and  on  that  account  was  held  in  greater  reverence.*  The 
reason  why  David  did  not  remove  the  tabernacle  along  with  the 
ark  to  Zion  is,  probably,  that  the  many  journeys  had  rendered  the 
already  five  hundred  years'  old  tabernacle  unfit  for  use,  as  indeed 
after  the  erection  of  the  Temple  it  was  deposited  as  a  holy  relic 
only.  As  appears  more  clearly  from  Psalm  xxiv.  this  Psalm  was 
probably  also  a  choral  song.  Perhaps  the  precentor  or  David 
himself  sung  the  question  in  v.  2  solo,  and  the  chorus  of  the  Levites 

*  As  an  evidence  of  this  view  may  be  adduced  1  Chron.  vi.  (vii.)  31; 
(where  Luther  renders,  "When  the  ark  rested,"  instead  of,  "After  the 
ark  had  come  to  rest.")  It  is  clear  that  the  term  "  The  house  of  the  Lord" 
includes  the  place  where  the  ark  was,  but  also  the  tabernacle,  as  shows 
v.  32.  Hence  v.  39  mentions  Asaph  as  one  of  the  officers  of  the  house  who, 
according  to  chap.  xvi.  ministered  at  the  tabernacle.  Michselis  adopts  the 
Bame  view. 


PSALM  XV.  105 

gave  the  reply.  The  fundamental  thought  of  Psalm  xv.  is  this: 
He  only,  who  shows  his  piety  not  only  in  the  temple  but  in  his  life, 
is  worthy  of  the  prerogative  of  dwelling  in  the  house  of  God.  As  it 
is  the  object  of  this  psalm  to  show  the  indissoluble  connection 
between  the  adoration  of  God  in  the  temple  and  its  evidences  in 
life,  it  cannot  seem  strange  that  it  insists  upon  our  duties  towards 
man.  After  the  positive  reply  in  v.  3,  that  neither  sacrifice  nor 
praise  in  the  temple  are  well-pleasing  to  God,  if  unaccompanied  by 
obedience  to  his  commandments,  so  the  following  verses  show  as  it 
were  in  a  mirror  some  of  the  grosser  violations  of  duty  towards  man, 
the  perpetrators  of  which  are  absolutely  excluded  from  communion 
with  God. 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

A 

2  LORD,  who  shall  sojourn  in  thy  tabernacle? 
Who  shall  dwell  in  thy  holy  hill? 

3  HE  THAT   WALKETH   UPRIGHTLY,   AND   WORKETH  RIGHT- 

EOUSNESS, 
AND  SPEAKETH  THE  TRUTH  FROM  HIS  HEART. 

4  He  that  backbiteth  not  with  his  tongue, 
Nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neighbour, 

Nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbour. 

5  In  whose  eyes  a  vile  person  is  contemned ; 
But  he  honoureth  them  that  fear  the  LORD. 

He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and  changeth  not. 

6  He  that  putteth  not  out  his  money  to  usury, 
Nor  taketh  reward  against  the  innocent. 

He  that  doeth  these  things  shall  never  be  moved. 

V.  2.  The  sojourning  and  dwelling  in  the  house  of  God  cannot 
mean  a  real  continuous  abode.  Familiarity  with  the  house  of  God, 
where  the  pious  has  spent  the  most  hallowed  hours  of  his  life,  and 
most  emphatically  realized  the  presence  of  God,  is  to  the  Psalmist 
the  emblem  of  familiarity  with  God  in  general  and  the  blessings 
flowing  from  it.  Hence  to  be  separated  from  the  tabernacle  or  the 
house  of  God,  meant  with  him  to  be  excluded  from  the  true  congre- 
gation of  Israel,  from  communion  with  the  Lord  and  the  preroga- 
tives connected  therewith.  This  follows  unmistakeably  from  the 
the  conclusion  of  this  psalm,  and  also  from  Psalms  xxiii.  6; 
xxvii.  5;  xxxi.  21;  xxxvi.  9;  Ixi.  5;  and  Ixv.  5.  How  strongly 
David's  heart  and  its  holiest  emotions  were  attached  to  the  house 
of  God,  since  the  ark  had  been  firmly  established  on  Zion,  may  be 
seen  from  his  longing  for  the  habitation  of  God  in  Zion/'  as 
recorded  in  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  (cf.  the  Hebrew.)  Need  we  surprised 


106  COMMENTARY  ON    THE   PSALMS. 

then  if  that  habitation  of  God  became  to  him  the  centre  of  every 
mercy?  He  represents  his  participation  in  the  adoration  of  God 
as  a  prerogative.  This  shows  that  there  were  some  at  least  in 
Israel,  who  deemed  the  observance  of  holy  rites,  the  sacrifice  and 
the  praise  of  God  not  hard  duties  imposed  upon  them,  but  mercies 
of  God.  David,  however,  uses  these  expressions,  because  he  looked 
beyond  those  merely  outward  acts.  He  questions  God  himself, 
and  expects  a  reply  by  Divine  illumination. 

F.  3.  David  affirms  not,  that  the  observance  of  holy  rites,  and 
the  offering  of  sacrifices,  are  well-pleasing  to  God :  he,  on  the  con- 
trary, regards  those  services  as  merciful  immunities  and  Divine 
privileges,  shared  by  those  who  offer  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  a  pure 
walk  and  a  sincere  heart.  A  walk  of  this  kind  we  call  a  sacrifice, 
because  walking  in  obedience  to  God's  commandments  involves 
the  continuous  sacrifice  of  our  own  will  to  that  of  God.  There 
may  exist,  indeed,  an  upright  walk,  a  righteousness  and  a  veracity, 
which,  because  not  flowing  from  the  remembrance  of  God  and  the 
conscious  obedience  to  his  holy  commandments,  establish  no  claim 
whatsoever  to  the  blessings  conferred  upon  the  children  of  God. 
But  it  is  equally  certain,  that  none  can  claim  the  title  of  a  child 
of  God,  but  he  who  strives  to  prove  his  obedience  to  the  will  of 
God,  in  word  and  in  deed. 

F.  4.  David  had  expressed  in  one  sentence  the  sum  total  of 
what  God  demands  from  his  genuine  followers.  The  profound 
delusion  of  man  renders  nothing  more  common  than  that  all  of  us 
preserve  no  small  amount  of  security  of  conscience,  when  our 
duties  to  man  are  stated  in  general  terms,  e.  g.  that  we  are  to  love 
our  neighbour,  not  to  injure  but  to  aid  him.  Nor  do  we  attain  to 
a  proper  sense  of  our  guilt,  till  the  mirror  of  the  Divine  command- 
ments be  held  before  every  separate  recess  of  the  heart.  Hence 
David  rests  not  satisfied  with  a  general  statement  of  duties,  but 
specifies  much  prevailing  offences,  which  thousands  indulge  in, 
who,  with  an  unruffled  conscience,  and  free  from  the  fear  of  being 
regarded  as  hypocrites,  approach  the  sanctuary  of  God.  He 
begins  with  the  violation  of  character,  which  since  our  usefulness 
among  men  depends  on  it,  must  be  regarded  as  a  real  possession, 
as  the  wise  man  has  it,  "A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than 
great  riches."  (Prov.  xxii.  1.)  He  next  refers  to  every  kind  of 
offence  against  the  law  of  love  to  our  neighbour,  and  lastly  adverts 
to  the  expressions  of  remarkable  passion,  as  evidenced  in  scorn 
and  abuse.  Though  thousands  of  Christians  may  deem  obedience  to 
these  commands  only  a  poor  criterion  of  piety,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  hundreds  and  thousands  go  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  to  the  sanc- 
tuary, professedly  for  the  worship  of  God,  who,  were  they  to  test 
themselves  by  these,  the  requirements  of  God,  would  be  convicted 
by  their  own  consciences. 

F.  5.     Here  he  asserts  a  demand,  of  which  the  mass  of  those 


PSALM  XV.  107 

who  lift  their  hands  to  God  think  probably  still  less  than  of  the  for- 
mer ;  viz.  that  we  should  form  our  estimate  of  human  merit  only 
by  the  standard  of  Divine  law.  Can  any  one,  save  he  who  regards 
and  loves  God  as  his  highest  good,  esteem  as  nothing  the  splen- 
dour which  great  riches  and  distinction,  great  talents  and  other 
amiable  qualities,  shed  on  man,  if  unaccompanied  by  the  fear  of 
God  ?  Are  there  many  to  be  found  who  can  truthfully  affirm  that 
they  prize  godliness  as  the  most  precious  and  valuable  tie  which 
links  them  to  man,  so  that  they  infinitely  prefer  the  intercourse  of 
devout,  plain,  and  uneducated  saints  to  that  of  the  talented  and 
highly-gifted  ungodly?  Or,  do  you  find  many  Christians,  who 
esteem  truthfulness  towards  our  neighbour  so  valuable  a  possession, 
that  rather  than  forego  it  they  will  suffer  injury  and  loss  of  every 
and  any  kind?  As  there  is  nothing  more  common  than  to  measure 
the  duty  of  veracity  and  faithfulness  by  the  standard  of  profit  and 
loss,  he  most  assuredly  has  the  law  of  God  deeply  engraven  in 
his  heart,  who  at  the  decisive  moment  of  trial  is  willing  rather  to 
part  with  property,  wife,  child,  or  his  own  life,  than  to  fail  in 
veracity  and  faithfulness.  We  may  account  for  the  self-delusion 
of  many  on  this  point,  who  think  better  of  themselves  than  they 
ought,  from  the  fact  that  what  they  omit  to  do  from  fear  of  secu- 
lar laws  which  punish  the  violation  of  promise,  they  fancy  to  have 
omitted  from  reverence  for  eternal  laws.  What  a  flood  of  faithless 
actions  would  rush  upon  us  were  secular  law  to  leave  the  violation 
of  promise  as  unpunished  as  it  does  that  of  truth — for  how  great  is 
the  dominion  of  untruth  in  the  world  !  Who  can  deny  this,  since 
in  spite  of  the  rigour  of  secular  law,  they  are  everywhere  so  uni- 
versally obtaining?  ^ 

V.  6.  As  the  original  speaks  not  of  usury  but  of  interest,  it 
might  appear  that  the  law  had  exacted  too  much;  the  expression 
would  certainly  exclude  from  the  sanctuary  of  God  a  countless 
number  of  Christians  who  least  expect  it.  To  obviate  so  hard  an 
opinion,  Luther  (and  E.  Y.)  preferred  the  term  "usury"  as 
denoting  "  an  extravagant  interest"  Though  the  law  had  alto- 
gether prohibited  the  lending  on  interest,  (Exod.  xxii.  25;  Levit. 
xxv.  36,)  the  term  "usury"  is  nevertheless  expressive  of  the  spirit 
of  that  law.  As  the  manner  of  money-investment  differed  in  those 
days  from  ours,  and  money  used  to  be  lent  to  the  poor  and  helpless 
only,  the  law  alludes  to  the  hardheartedness  of  those  who,  instead 
of  assisting  their  neighbour  by  gifts,  even  refused  to  make  any 
advances  to  him,  except  on  interest.  The  taking  of  reward  refers 
primarily  to  judges,  who  prefer  their  own  interests  to  justice;  but 
applies  equally  to  all  who,  bribed  by  temporal  considerations,  pro- 
tect an  unjust  cause.  "He  that  doeth  these  things  shall  never  be 
moved."  These  words  plainly  indicate,  that  David  speaks  not  of 
an  external  participation  in  the  worship  of  Israel  only.  This  con- 
clusion reverts  to  the  question  in  v.  2,  viz.  "  Who  is  worthy  of 


108  COMMENTARY   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

sojourning  in  the  tabernacle  of  God?"  and  renders  it  more  evident 
that  the  Psalmist  meant  by  dwelling  in  God's  tabernacle  something 
more  than  a  mere  participation  in  external  worship.  Since  this 
verse,  as  well  as  Psalm  i.  5,  contains  a  profound  anticipation  of 
the  most  remote  future,  we  must  not  be  surprised  that  Jewish  and 
Christian  interpreters  conclude  the  psalm  to  refer  from  the  begin- 
ning to  dwelling  in  the  everlasting  habitations.  (Luke  xvi.  9.)  This 
conclusion  is  correct,  because  only  those  shall  share  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  kingdom  in  glory  who  were  no  strangers  to  it  on 
earth,  for  the  path  which  leads  to  communion  with  God  both  here 
and  there  is  the  same,  viz.  obedience  to  the  commandments  of 
God,  (v.  2.) 


PSALM  XVI. 

A  SONG  of  praise  of  David,  replete  with  the  brightest  confidence 
and  joy  in  God,  which  stretch  beyond  the  grave.*  We  cannot 
determine  the  occasion  on  which  the  minstrel  became  so  powerfully 
conscious  of  his  communion  with  God.  The  immortal  hopes  which 
David  here  expressed  in  a  rapturous  hour,  could  not  be  realized  by 
him  before  they  met  their  fulfilment  in  Christ,  who  is  the  first-born 
from  the  dead,  has  conquered  death,  and  taken  its  sting  away. 
(Col.  i.  18 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  20—22.  56,  57;  Heb.  ii.  14.)  Hence  the 
apostles  Peter  and  Paul  declare  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  speaking  by 
the  mouth  of  David,  refers  in  these  words  to  that  first-born  from 
the  dead  who  had  destroyed  the  power  of  death.  (Acts  ii.  25 — 81; 
xiii.  35 — 37.)  We  cannot  positively  infer  from  verse  1,  that  this 
psalm  was  composed  in  times  of  affliction;  for  a  pious  man  thus 
commits  his  ways  to  God  in  even  the  prosperous  days  of  a  life 
which  is  subject  to  the  alternations  of  fortune.  V.  2  expresses  the 
fundamental  thought  of  the  psalm:  "God  is  the  highest  possession 
of  the  pious"  Reflecting  on  this  thought,  David  again  sees  man- 
kind divided  into  two  classes — those  who  know  that  possession,  and 
those  from  whom  it  is  concealed.  He  resolves  to  join  the  little 
band  of  the  former,  but  turns  in  dismay  from  the  latter,  (v.  3,  4.) 
He  is  lost  in  the  meditation  of  the  riches  and  fulness  that  spring 
from  his  communion  with  God ;  he  confines  himself  not  to  the  pre- 
sent, but  expresses  his  conviction  of  future  prosperity,  (v.  6 — 8.) 

*  Ewald:  "The  bright  splendours  of  sublime  peace  and  the  cordial 
intensity  of  accomplished  experience  veils  the  whole.  As  there  is  but  one 
great  emotion  in  the  poet's  soul,  so  his  song  is  but  one  gently  flowing 
stream,  without  storms  or  difficult  transitions,  while  the  secret  flame 
gradually  gains  in  intensity.'* 


PSALM   XVI.  109 

At  this  stage  the  Spirit  of  God  leads  him  to  the  contemplation  of 
that  eternal  state  of  things  which  Christ  having  rendered  possible 
became  first  fulfilled  in  Him.  He  perceives  that  saints  go  through 
the  grave  to  heaven,  the  scene  of  life,  of  fulness  of  joy  and  plea- 
sures for  evermore. 

GOLDEN  Psalm  (or  "a  writing")  of  David. 

Preserve  me,  0  God: 

For  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust. 

2  0  my  soul,  thou  hast  said  unto  the  LORD,  Thou  art  my 

Lord: 
My  welfare  is  nought  beyond  thee ; 

3  Up !  to  the  saints  that  are  in  the  earth, 

And  to  the  glorious  ones  in  whom  is  all  my  delight. 

4  Their   sorrows   shall   be   multiplied   that  hasten   after 

another ; 

Their  drink  offerings  of  blood  will  I  not  offer, 
Nor  take  up  their  names  (of  the  idols)  into  my  lips. 

5  The  LORD  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance  and  of 

my  cup : 
Thou  maintainest  my  lot. 

6  The  lines  are  (or  the  lot  is)  fallen  unto  me  pleasantly : 
Yea,  I  have  a  goodly  heritage. 

7  I  will  bless  the  LORD,  who  hath  given  me  counsel : 
My  reins  also  instruct  me  in  the  night  seasons. 

8  I  have  set  the  LORD  always  before  mine  eyes : 
Because  he  is  at  my  right  hand,  I  shall  not  be  moved. 

9  Therefore  my  heart  is  glad,  and  my  soul  rejoiceth: 
My  flesh  also  shall  dwell  securely. 

10  For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  Sheol: 

Neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.* 

11  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life : 
In  thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy; 

At  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore. 

V.  1.  The  conviction  that  God  in  the  most  emphatic  sense  is  his 
God,  which  David  realized  more  profoundly  than  ever  in  this  hour 

*  Or,  "Mine  holy  ones  to  see  the  grave."  Translating  in  the  plural 
makes  no  change  in  the  sense;  for  the  promise  is  fulfilled  to  the  holy  ones 
of  God  through  the  Holy  One  of  God,  who  is  the  first-born  from  the  dead. 
Translating  "to  see  the  grave"  (to  see  corruption)  or  "decay,"  makes  no 
material  diiference.  For  David  could  only  in  a  prophetic  sense  express 
the  hope  of  not  seeing  the  grave,  i.  e.  of  continuing  in  death,  (Cf.  John  xi. 
25,  26,)  as  it  could  only  be  fulfilled  to  him  through  Christ. 
10 


110  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

of  sublime  and  blessed  experience,  leads  him  to  commit  himself 
and  all  his  destinies  for  ever  unto  God.  We  hear  no  anxious  cry 
for  help,  no  expression  "of  need  to  unburden  his  oppressed  heart; 
but  from  the  happiness  and  plenitude  of  the  present  he  looks 
towards  the  future.  He  trusts  in  the  Lord.  He  trusts  in  him ; 
and  what  kind  of  trust  must  have  filled  in  that  hour  Ms  soul  who 
was  able  to  utter  the  sequel  of  this  psalm ! 

F.  2.  There  are  sometimes  epochs  in  the  life  of  the  godly,  when 
moments  decide  for  eternity.  David  speaks  as  if  in  some  hour  of 
the  past  he  had  for  ever  made  that  decision  which  our  Lord 
demands  from  his  followers,  (Matt.  vi.  24.)  It  is  indeed  not  diffi- 
cult to  say  that  all  our  welfare  is  nought  beyond  God,  if  it  be  only 
the  expression  of  intellectual  assent;  but  if  it  mean  a  decision  of 
the  will,  which  once  for  all  spontaneously  and  unreservedly  subjects 
every  and  any  earthly  possessions  to  the  highest  of  possessions, 
(i.  e.  to  God,)  how  small  their  number  who  can  affirm  that  they 
have  come  to  such  a  decision.  But  we  must  assume  that  even  in 
the  case  of  Old  Testament  saints,  like  David  and  Asaph,  (Psalm 
Ixxiii.  26,)  who  thus  express  themselves,  it  was  only  on  certain 
days  or  hours  that  their  soul  could  in  so  clear  and  firm  a  manner 
soar  to  this  decision.  And  why?  Because  if  that  decision  were 
immoveably  to  abide  on  the  heavens  of  our  soul  throughout  the 
period  of  our  earthly  existence,  it  would,  like  a  spiritual  sun,  pierce 
all  our  resolves,  and  completely  absorb  sin. 

F.  3.  Enjoying  the  delight  which  the  presence  of  God  imparts 
to  his  servants,  David  feels  that  his  faith  is  not  isolated  on  earth, 
but  that  he  has  gained  much  from  the  community  of  saints,  which 
the  Christian  language  calls  "the  Church,"  though  the  Old  Testa- 
ment designates  it  as  "  fas  people  of  God"  "  the  generation  of  the 
righteous,"  "the  true  Israel  of  God."  (Cf.  ad.  iii.  9;  xiv.  4,  5.) 
As  Isaiah  cries,  "  Up  to  the  law  and  to  the  testimony,"  (Isaiah 
viii.  20,)  so  David  calls  upon  his  soul  to  delight  in  those  only  who 
through  their  communion  with  God  are  in  communion  with  him. 
The  very  same  parties  who  are  called  elsewhere  "the poor  and  the 
needy"  (Psalm  xii.  6;  xiv.  6,)  are  here  described  as  "the  excel- 
lent," (the  glorious  ones.)  So  Peter  writes  of  the  disciples  of 
Christ,  "  If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are 
ye;  for  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resteth  upon  you."  (1  Peter 
iv.  14.)  The  addition,  "  that  are  in  the  earth"  (i.  e.  the  country 
of  the  Philistines,)  might  be  explained  from  supposing  him,  dur- 
ing the  composition  of  this  psalm,  as  an  exile  from  the  land  of 
God,  perhaps  with  the  Philistines;  but  it  is  preferable  to  under- 
stand here,  as  in  Psalm  ci.  8,  "the  holy  laud,"  and  that  David 
means  to  comprise  in  the  term  all  who  are  promiscuously  scattered 
within  the  frontiers  of  Palestine. 

F.  4.  Looking  at  that  little  band,  (Psalm  xii.  1,)  he  cannot 
forbear  mentioning  those  who  choose  them  other  masters.  (Exodus 


PSALM  XVI.  Ill 

xx.  3;  Isaiah  xlii.  8.)  David  may  refer  to  idolaters  only,  (compare 
1  Sam.  xxvi.  19,  where  David  said  to  Saul,  "If  the  children  of 
men  have  stirred  thee  up  against  me,  cursed  be  they  before  the 
Lord;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this  day  from  abiding  in  the 
inheritance  of  the  Lord,  (for  he  had  to  seek  refuge  with  the  Philis- 
tines,) Baying,  Go,  serve  other  gods,")  but  the  antithesis  to  the 
truly  pious  in  the  land,  as  well  as  other  passages  in  which  David 
describes  the  wicked  as  idolaters,  (Psalm  x.  3;  xii.  5;  lix.  6,  etc.) 
render  it  probable  that  he  refers  to  all  whose  hearts  are  estranged 
from  God.  They  may  appear  happy,  and  the  sight  of  their  pros- 
perity may  cause  the  pious  to  stagger.  But  seasons  when  all  the 
heaven  of  God  fills  the  heart  that  loves  God,  (and  David  was  then 
blessed  with  such  a  season,)  render  it  very  evident  that  those  who 
are  deprived  of  this  can  have  no  satisfaction  in  their  prosperity, 
that  their  welfare  is  trouble,  and  their  joy  intense  pain.  "Many 
sorrows  shall  be  to  the  wicked;  but  he  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord, 
mercy  shall  compass  him  about."  (Psalm  xxxii.  10.)  To  express 
his  thorough  detestation  of  idolaters,  he  describes  them  by  their 
most  horrible  acts — the  frightful  drink  offerings  mingled  with 
blood,  which  they  sometimes  used  to  present  to  their  idols.  (Zech. 
ix.  7.)  He  will  not  even  pollute  his  lips  by  naming  their  idols. 
(Exod.  xxiii.  13.) 

V.  5,  6.  He  shows  that  those  alone  are  well  trained  in  the 
school  of  piety  who  find  their  fullest  satisfaction  in  the  possession 
of  the  only  God,  and  desire  nought  beyond  him,  through  whom  all 
other  earthly  possessions  can  only  be  truly  and  satisfactorily 
enjoyed.  For  as  all  the  enjoyments  of  creation,  if  partaken  con- 
trary to  the  limits  and  purposes  which  God  has  assigned,  and  with- 
out any  remembrance  of  the  Giver,  are  bitter  and  insipid,  so  God 
alone  renders  the  enjoyment  of  creation  pleasant.  He  regards  his 
happiness  in  God,  not  as  an  act  or  merit  of  his  own,  as  if  he  had 
sought  God,  but  because  God  always  takes  the  initiative  to  benefit 
even  those  who  have  not  yet  sought  him,  and  offers  himself  to  their 
choice.  Hence  David  deems  it  a  merciful  lot  to  have  been  born 
in  Israel,  where  God  has  deposited  his  testimonies,  and  met  him 
from  his  earliest  childhood. 

V.  7.  He  thinks  not  only  of  outward  means  of  grace,  such  as 
those  of  education,  the  sanctuary,  or  the  instructions  of  Samuel 
and  other  pious  men,  but  as  man  is  unable  to  find  the  living  God 
without  the  inward  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  proper  use 
of  the  means  of  grace,  he  mentions  the  spiritual  counsel  and 
instructions  which  his  reins  had  imparted  to  him  at  night,  i.  e. 
according  to  Old  Testament  usage,  his  emotions,  his  feelings.  In 
the  stillness  of  night,  after  the  bustle  and  distraction  of  the  day, 
the  monitor  from  within  speaks  and  points  us  from  time  to 
eternity. 

V.  8.  He  has  set  the  Lord  always  before  his  eyes;  in  other 


112  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

words,  he  has  not  suffered  his  senses  to  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left.  If  the  mind's  eye  be  thus  firmly  set  upon  the  Lord,  the 
experience  will  not  fail,  that  in  him  are  to  be  found  abundant 
means  of  securing  temporal  and  eternal  happiness.  When  men 
turn  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  to  spy  the  means  of  comfort,  but 
are  unable  to  find  satisfaction  in  God,  the  reason  is,  that  the  all- 
sufliciency  of  God  is  revealed  to  those  alone  who  can  muster  suffi- 
cient courage  and  perseverance,  with  an  undiverted  eye,  to  look 
at  their  eternal  possession. 

F.  9,  10.  Thoughts  of  immortal  bliss  are  sure  to  arise  in  the 
soul  of  man,  when,  like  David,  full  of  the  fear  of  God,  he  finds 
himself  ushered  into  the  Holiest  of  Holies,  in  communion  with 
God,  and  attains  to  the  knowledge  that  God  is  his  all-sufficient 
good,  in  whose  possession  he  may  for  ever  prosper.  So  the  Spirit 
of  God  shows  to  the  bard  the  glorious  vistas  of  eternity  which  lie 
open  to  man,  since  Christ  has  conquered  death.*  He  is  filled 
with  the  hope  of  salvation.  Heart  and  soul,  as  the  spiritual  part 
of  man,  are  glad  and  rejoice;  but  the  flesh  also  shall  dwell  securely. "j" 
V.  10  expands  this  thought.  The  soul  shall  not  be  consigned  to 
Sheol,  nor  the  holy  one  of  God  to  the  grave  and  to  corruption. 
Not  that  the  holy  one  of  God  is  to  escape  death,  but  as  Christ  in 
saying,  "  Whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die/' 
simply  means  what  is  expressed  in  the  preceding  verse,  "  He  that 
believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live"  (John  xi. 
25,  26,)  so  this  passage  simply  means  that  Sheol  is  the  pathway, 
and  the  grave  of  corruption  the  gate,  to  imperishable  glory  for  the 
children  of  God.  It  is  said  elsewhere,  "  But  God  will  redeem  my 
soul  from  the  power  of  Sheol,  for  he  shall  receive  me."  (Psalm  xlix. 
16.)  What  David  expresses  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  neither  been  fulfilled  in  him  nor  any  other  saint,  since  only  by 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead  were  life  and 
immortality  brought  to  light.  The  Old  Testament  saints  were 
gathered  with  the  fathers,  and  perhaps  partly  translated  into  a 
higher  sphere  of  life;  but  as  complete  salvation  is  only  to  be 
attained  through  union  with  Christ,  the  indwelling  Spirit  of  whom 
shall  also  quicken  our  newly  glorified  bodies,  (Romans  viii.  11,)  so 
the  fathers  gathered  to  God  had  to  wait  for  the  advent  of  Christ, 
as  he  said  of  Abraham  himself,  that  he  rejoiced  to  see  his  day. 
(John  viii.  56.)  Now  since  the  Saviour,  the  first  and  only  man 

f  Ewald:  "The  steady  glow  of  the  sublimest  spiritual  exclusion  and 
clarity  raises  the  poet  far  above  the  future  and  its  threatenings,  and  he 
clearly  realizes  that  such  a  continuance  of  the  spirit  in  God  banishes  all 
fear,  whether  of  bodily  pain  or  of  death,  but  that  the  body  must  finally 
enjoy  rest,  where  true  life  is  found,  since  deliverance  of  the  soul  from  the 
grave  must  be  possible  with  Him  who  desires  nothing  but  life." 

f  Cf.  the  antitheses  of  body  and  spirit;  Isaiah  x.  18;  Psalm  Ixxiii.  26; 
Job  xiv.  22.  pp,  which  Luther  translates  "will  lie,"  is  used  Isaiah  xxvi. 
19,  Psalm  xciv.  17,  "of  lying  in  the  grave" 


PSALM  XVII.  113 

who  rose  from  the  grave  as  the  conqueror  of  death,  in  a  condition 
no  longer  subject  to  death,  thus  became  exalted  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father,  and  since,  according  to  his  own  statement,  the  mem- 
bers shall  share  in  the  experience  of  the  Head,  "  Where  I  am, 
there  shall  my  servant  be  also/'  it  follows  that  this  prophecy  of 
David  shall  only  be  fulfilled  in  Christ  the  Head  and  his  members. 
"  It  is  a  faithful  saying :  For  if  we  be  dead  with  him,  we  shall  also 
live  with  him :  if  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him/'  (2  Tim. 
ii.  11,  12.) 

V.  11.  He  can  hardly  find  words  to  express  the  sublimity  and 
loveliness  of  his  final  destiny:  life  and  fulness  of  joy  and  pleasures 
for  evermore,  and  that  in  the  presence  and  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  depicting,  as  it  were,  how  the  rivers  of  satisfaction  and  of  peace, 
which  even  now  fill  his  soul,  shall  enlarge  into  a  boundless  ocean. 
Similar  is  the  expression  of  our  Lord,  that  the  water  which  he 
gives  to  those  who  believe  in  him,  shall  be  in  them  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life.  (John  iv.  14.) 


PSALM  XVII. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint,  composed  in  the  time  of  Saul's  persecu- 
tion, to  which  an  allusion  is  found  in  verse  11,  where  the  plural  is 
used  with  reference  to  David  and  his  followers.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  iv. 
and  xi.)  The  singular  in  verse  13  probably  refers  to  Saul. 

The  Psalmist  gathers  confidence  in  prayer  from  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  just  cause,  (v.  1.)  He  can  trustfully  expose  himself  to 
the  judgment  of  God  in  the  thing  of  which  they  accuse  him.  The 
word  of  God  is  the  guiding-star  of  his  ways,  which  prevents  the 
slipping  of  his  footsteps,  (v.  2 — 5.)  Full  of  a  firm  trust,  he  ventures 
to  lay  claim  to  God's  special  providence,  (v.  6 — 9.)  He  states  to 
God  the  zeal  and  assurance,  the  pride  and  unrelenting  sanguinary 
efforts,  of  his  persecutors  unto  death,  (v.  10 — 12.)  The  anxiety  of 
his  cry  for  aid  is  proportioned  to  the  vividness  of  this  description. 
They  are  people,  whose  sole  welfare  is  confined  to  the  things  of 
this  world,  (v.  13,  14.)  David,  however,  feels  himself  conscious 
of  the  eternal  inheritance  which  the  Lord  will  grant  to  them  who 
love  him,  (v.  15.) 

PRAYER  of  David. 

Hear  justice,  0  LORD, 
Attend  unto  my  cry. 

Give  ear  unto  my  prayer,  thatgoeth  not  out  of  feigned  lips. 
10* 


114  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

2  Let  my  sentence  come  forth  from  thy  presence ; 

Let  thine  eyes  behold  the  things  that  are  equal  (or  "the 
right.") 

3  Thou  hast  proved  mine  heart ; 
Thou  has  visited  me  in  the  night ; 

Thou  hast  tried  me,  and  hast  found  nothing ; 

I  am  purposed  that  my  mouth  shall  not  transgress. 

4  Concerning  the  works  of  men, 

By  the  word  of  thy  lips  I  have  tried  the  paths  of  the 
transgressor.* 

5  Hold  up  my  goings  in  thy  paths, 
That  my  footsteps  slip  not. 

6  I  have  called  upon  thee,  for  thou  wilt  hear  me,  0  God : 
Incline  thine  ear  unto  me,  and  hear  my  speech. 

7  Show  thy  marvellous  loving-kindness, 

0  thou  Saviour  of  those  that  put  their  trust  in  thee, 
From  those  that  rise  up  against  thy  right  hand. 

8  Keep  me  as  the  apple  of  the  eye, 

Hide  me  under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings, 

9  From  the  wicked  that  waste  me, 

From  my  deadly  enemies,  who  compass  me  about. 

10  They  are  enclosed  in  their  own  fat : 
With  their  mouth  they  speak  proudly. 

11  They  have  now  compassed  us  in  our  steps : 

They  have  set  their  eyes  bowing  down  to  the  earth ; 

12  Like  as  a  lion  that  is  greedy  of  his  prey, 

And  as  it  were  a  young  lion  sitting  in  secret  places. 

13  Arise,  0  LORD,  disappoint  him,  cast  him  down : 
Deliver  my  soul  from  the  wicked  by  thy  sword: 

14  From  men,  by  thine  hand,  0  LORD, 

From  men  of  the  world,  which  have  their  portion  in 

this  life, 

And  whose  belly  thou  fillest  with  thy  hid  treasure : 
They  satisfy  their  children,  and  leave  the  rest  of  their 

substance  to  their  babes. 

15  As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness : 

1  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness. 

V.  1.  David  first  expresses  in  this  prayer  the  righteousness  of 
his  cause.  Since  there  is  no  greater  drawback  in  our  approaches  to 
God  than  an  evil  conscience,  and  no  prayer  rises  to  Heaven  more 
confidently  than  that  in  a  righteous  cause,  we  need  not  wonder  at 

*  Cf.  ID«>  in  Ps.  xxxvii.  37,  if  on  be  regarded  in  the  Mascul. 


PSALM  XVII.  115 

David's  placing  his  consciousness  of  wrongful  accusation  and  per- 
secution at  the  head  of  this  prayer  to  strengthen  his  faith.  It  is 
quite  true,  that  the  ungodly  may  have  to  glory  in  a  just  cause,  but 
since  they  refuse  to  own  that  God  governs  the  world,  their  thoughts 
stop  at  the  judgment-seat  of  their  own  consciences;  and  since  they 
cannot  call  upon  God  in  faith,  they  carry  their  troubles  rather  with 
grudging  pride  than  with  manly  perseverance.  The  righteousness 
of  his  cause  stimulates  David,  praying  and  weeping,  earnestly  to 
refer  it  to  Him  who  rules  the  world  in  righteousness.  If  a  wrong- 
fully accused  man  were  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  testimony  of  a 
good  conscience,  and  were  on  that  account  to  omit  prayer,  would 
he  not  rob  God  of  his  honour,  by  failing  to  recommend  justice  to 
the  Righteous  Judge  of  the  world?  Aware  that  a  hypocritical 
mind  is  with  God  the  most  potent  destroyer  of  the  power  of  prayer, 
David  adds  that  in  his  prayers,  the  mouth  is  the  interpreter  of  an 
innocent  heart.  For  the  nature  and  groundlessness  of  the  accusa- 
tions which  were  brought  against  him,  cf.  ad.  Ps.  v.  and  Ps.  vii. 

F  2,  3.  He  must  have  a  good  conscience  who  calls  the  Omni- 
scient Judge  to  his  aid.  David  enjoys  one.  (Cf.  Ps.  vii.  4 — 6.) 
He  points  to  the  silent  watches  of  the  night,  where  the  Spirit  of 
God  had  tried  his  conscience  and  sifted  his  thoughts  (to  hours  of 
such  awful  solemnity  as  described  in  Job  iv.  13,  etc.*)  and  his  heart 
was  clear  of  the  charges  which  were  brought  against  him.  The 
historical  books  contain  similar  testimonies  to  the  purity  of  David's 
conscience.  (1  Samuel  xxiv.  12;  xxvi.  18.  23.) 

V.  4,  5.  David's  life  corresponds,  not  only  in  this  instance, 
but  throughout,  to  what  Paul  in  Rom.  xii.  2,  requires  in  Christians. 
He  regards  the  word  of  God  as  the  law  of  his  own  actions,  and 
the  standard  to  which  to  refer  those  of  others.  It  is  the  character- 
istic of  genuine  piety  peculiarly  becoming  to  Christians,  to  con- 
scientiously regard  their  own  and  their  neighbours'  lives  in  the 
light,  and  to  judge  of  them  by  the  standard,  of  Gods  word.  Con- 
siderate conduct  like  this  secures  that  heavenly  wisdom  which 
David  enjoyed,  and  which  leads  us  so  to  know  and  pursue  the 
paths  of  God,  that  our  footsteps  glide  not. 

F  6 — 8.  David  trusts  that  He  who  guides  the  starry  host  in 
their  course,  who  has  made  the  seven  stars  and  Orion,  (Amos  v.  8,) 
forgets  not  the  lone  fugitive  on  the  mountains  of  Judah.  He 
trusts  that  he  keeps  him  as  the  apple  of  the  eye,  that  he  may  hide 
himself  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings  as  the  timid  chicken  under 
that  of  the  hen,  and  with  childlike  confidence  prays  for  the  exhi- 
bition of  the  marvellous  loving-kindness  of  God.  However  foolish 
prayers  like  these  may  seem  to  those  who  are  devoid  of  the  testi- 
mony of  the  love  of  God  in  their  hearts,  they  are  familiar  to  us 
Christians,  who  know  that  God  has  given  his  only  begotten  Son  to 
die  for  us,  for  we  ask  in  childlike  simplicity  and  trustfulness, 
"  Shall  he  not  with  him  give  us  all  things?" 


116  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

V.  9 — 14.  David  states  that  his  persecutors  are  most  deter- 
minately  set  upon  his  destruction;  that  they  try  to  stop  every 
means  of  escape;  that  they  are  arrogant,  secure  in  their  voluptu- 
ous prosperity,  and  on  that  account  insensible  to  humane  feelings; 
that  they  indulge  in  proud  boasting,  (Cf.  Job  xv.  27;  Psalm 
Ixxiii.  7;)  that  they  are  confirmed  and  sanguinary  spoilers,  for 
ever  on  the  scent  and  pursuit  of  the  fugitives;  and  (as  the  history 
of  David  amply  shows)  that  they  are  children  of  this  world,  who 
have  not  the  Lord  before  them,  whose  fulness  of  earthly  goods  is 
so  great  that  not  only  is  there  enough  for  their  children,  but  even 
a  portion  left  for  their  grandchildren. 

F.  15.  Exposed  to  such  persecutors,  aiming  not  only  at  the 
earthly  possessions  but  the  life  of  David,  he  might  be  thought  to 
be  in  a  darkness  from  which  every  ray  of  hope  is  excluded.  But 
unenvious  of  the  pleasure  of  those  who  fatten  on  such  husks,  David 
glories  in  the  prospect  of  the  eternal  joys  of  the  world  to  come. 
Wondrously  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  speaks  with  a 
clearness  which  seems  possible  to  Christian  minds  only,  of  the  glo- 
ries of  heaven,  where  the  struggle  with  sin  shall  be  changed  into 
perfect  righteousness,  faith  into  face-to-face  vision,  satiation  with 
the  divided  goods  of  this  life  into  satiation  with  the  one  perfect 
good,  which  renders  everything  besides  unnecessary.  The  expres- 
sion, "to  be  satisfied  with  the  likeness  of  God,"  has  only  one  paral- 
lel passage  (Num.  xii.  8 :)  "  With  him  (Moses)  will  I  speak  mouth 
to  mouth,  even  apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches;  and  the 
similitude  (form)  of  the  Lord  shall  he  behold."  The  likeness, 
similitude,  and  form,  are  to  be  understood  as  defined  outlines  con- 
trasted with  an  indistinct  perception.  David  probably  alludes  to 
the  passage  in  Numbers. 


PSALM  XVIII. 

THE  king,  who  speaks  in  this  psalm,  makes  himself  known  in 
v.  44.  51.  It  is  David  who  sings  this  song  of  praise  to  his 
God,  after  he  had  delivered  him  from  all  his  enemies,  therefore 
from  Absalom  and  Sheba.  It  was  therefore  composed  during  the 
last  years  of  his  reign,  when  he  was  upwards  of  sixty  years  old, 
(he  lived  to  the  good  old  age  of  seventy.)  Though  old  age  is 
somewhat  perceptible,  there  still  remain  his  noble,  heroic  mind, 
his  fervent  faith  and  glowing  love  to  God,  along  with  the  full  con- 
sciousness of  a  long  life,  rich  in  experience  and  vicissitude.  The 
sacred  historian  set  so  important  a  value  on  this  psalm,  as  embody- 
ing the  concentrated  experience  of  the  great  king,  that  he  assigned 


PSALM  XVIII.  117 

it  a  place  among  the  historic  records,  (2  Sam.  xxii.)  in  a  form 
•which,  owing  to  verbal  tradition  and  the  circulation  of  some 
incomplete  copies,  varies  in  some  respects  from  that  of  this  psalrn.* 
The  king's  deep  gratitude,  in  the  retrospect  of  the  guidance  of 
his  life,  as  the  fundamental  sentiment  of  this  psalm,  appears  from 
the  accumulation  of  predicates  by  which  he  seeks  to  exhaust  the 
description  of  what  the  Lord  has  been  to  him  throughout  his  long 
life,  and  to  indicate  the  results  of  his  experience,  (v.  2,  3.)  He 
then  states  the  theme  of  his  song;  death  and  destruction  have 
assailed  him  more  than  any  other,  but  he  has  found  in  a  thousand 
instances  that  there  is  a  prayer-hearing  and  answering  God, 
(v.  4 — 7.)  That  expression  is  not  sufficiently  strong:  the  signal 
experiences  of  his  whole  life  combine  into  a  figure.  The  earth 
trembled,  the  heavens  bent,  the  Lord  almost  visibly  descended  in 
lightnings  and  tempests,  and  drew  the  nigh-drowned  David  out  of 
great  waters,  (v.  8 — 19.)  All  he  has  to  say  is,  budlike,  com- 
pressed into  this  figure.  He  now  separates  the  leaves.  His  life 
has  been  the  theatre  of  God's  punitive  justice,  (v.  20 — 28.)  His 
God  gave  him  strength  and  glorious  victory  in  war,  (v.  29 — 43.) 
Enemies  at  home  and  abroad  had  to  submit:  once  deeply  humili- 
ated, he  is  now  highly  exalted,  (v.  44 — 46.)  Feelings  excited  by 
an  experience  of  this  kind  cannot  but  issue  in  gratitude  and  praise 
to  Him  who  has  done  such  great  things. 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  the  servant 
of  the  LORD,  who  spake  unto  the  LORD  the  words 
of  this  song  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  delivered  him 
from  the  hand  of  all  his  enemies,  and  from  the 
hand  of  Saul :  And  he  said, 

2  I  will  love  thee,  0  LORD,  my  strength. 

3  0  LORD,  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer; 
My  God,  my  strength,  in  whom  I  will  trust ; 

My  buckler,  and  the  horn  of  my  salvation,  and  my  high 
tower. 

4  I  called  upon  the  LORD,  who  is  worthy  to  be  praised : 
And  I  was  delivered  from  mine  enemies. 

5  The  billows  of  death  compassed  me, 

And  the  floods  of  ungodly  men  made  me  afraid. 

*  We  have  doubtless  an  older  form  of  this  song  in  the  book  of  Samuel, 
which  is  clear  from  peculiarities  of  language ;  but  its  readings  are  less  sat- 
isfactory, and  it  appears  to  owe  its  origin  to  verbal  tradition,  (which  is 
also  rendered  probable  from  certain  approximations  to  the  common  dialect 
of  the  people,  v.  37.  40.  41.  48.)  The  text  in  the  Psalms  may  have  been 
taken  from  one  of  the  king's  own  manuscripts,  which  in  linguistic  respects 
was  afterwards  somewhat  modified. 


118  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

6  The  cords  of  Sheol  compassed  me  about : 
The  snares  of  death  prevented  me. 

7  In  my  distress  I  called  upon  the  LORD,  and  cried  unto 

my  God : 

He  heard  my  voice  out  of  his  temple, 
And  my  cry  before  him  came  into  his  ears. 

8  Then  the  earth  shook  and  trembled ; 

The  foundations  also  of  the  hills  moved  and  were  shaken, 
Because  he  was  wroth. 

9  There  went  up  a  smoke  out  of  his  nostrils, 
And  devouring  fire  out  of  his  mouth : 
Coals  were  kindled  by  it. 

10  He  bowed  the  heavens  also,  and  came  down : 
And  darkness  was  under  his  feet. 

11  And  he  rode  upon  a  cherub,  and  did  fly: 
Yea,  he  did  fly  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind. 

12  He  made  darkness  his  secret  place ; 
His  pavilion  round  about  him 

Were  dark  waters  and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies. 

13  Out  of  the  brightness,  that  is  before  him,  passed  through 

his  thick  clouds 
Hail  stones  and  coals  of  fire. 

14  The  LORD  also  thundered  in  the  heavens, 
And  the  Highest  gave  his  voice — 

Hail  stones  and  coals  of  fire. 

15  Yea,  he  sent  out  his  arrows,  and  scattered  them ; 
And  he  shot  out  lightnings,  and  discomfited  them. 

16  Then  the  beds  of  the  sea  were  seen, 

And  the  foundations  of  the  world  were  discovered 

At  thy  rebuke,  0  LORD, 

At  the  blast  of  the  breath  of  thy  nostrils. 

17  He  stretched  (his  arm)  from  above,  he  took  me, 
He  drew  me  out  of  great  waters. 

18  He  delivered  me  from  my  strong  enemy, 
And  from  them  which  hated  me : 
Which  were  too  strong  for  me. 

19  They  prevented  me  in  the  day  of  my  calamity : 
But  the  LORD  was  my  stay. 

20  He  brought  me  forth  also  into  a  large  place ; 
He  delivered  me,  because  he  delighted  in  me. 

21  The  LORD  rewarded  me  according  to  my  righteousness; 
According  to  the  cleanness  of  my  hands  hath  he  recom- 
pensed me. 


PSALM   XVIII.  119 

22  For  I  have  kept  the  ways  of  the  LORD, 

And  have  not  wickedly  departed  from  my  God. 

23  For  all  his  judgments  were  before  me, 

And  I  did  not  put  away  his  statutes  from  me. 

24  I  was  also  upright  before  him, 

And  I  kept  myself  from  mine  iniquity.* 

25  Therefore  hath  the  LORD  recompensed  me 
According  to  my  righteousness, 

According  to  the  cleanness  of  my  hands  in  his  eyesight. 

26  With  the  merciful  thou  wilt  show  thyself  merciful ; 
With  an  upright  man  thou  wilt  show  thyself  upright ; 

27  With  the  pure  thou  wilt  show  thyself  pure ; 

But  with  the  frowardthou  wilt  sho w  thyself  froward.f 

28  For  thou  wilt  save  the  afflicted  people ; 
But  wilt  bring  down  high  looks. 

29  For  thou  wilt  light  my  lamp : 

The  LORD  my  God  will  enlighten  my  darkness. 

30  For  by  thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop  (or  "  broken  an 

host:") 
And  by  my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall. 

31  As  for  God,  his  way  is  perfect: 

The  word  of  the  LORD  is  tried  (or  "  refined-pure :") 
He  is  a  buckler  to  all  those  that  trust  in  him ; 

32  For  who  is  God  save  the  LORD? 
Or  who  is  a  rock  save  our  God  ? 

33  It  is  God  that  girdeth  me  with  strength, 
And  maketh  my  way  perfect. 

34  He  maketh  my  feet  like  hinds'  feet, 
And  setteth  me  upon  my  high  places. 

35  He  teacheth  my  hands  to  war, 

So  that  a  bow  of  steel  is  bent  by  mine  arms. 

36  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the  shield  of  thy  salvation  : 
And  thy  right  hand  hath  holden  me  up, 

And  thy  condescension  hath  made  me  great. 

37  Thou  hast  enlarged  my  steps  under  me, 
That  my  feet  (lit:  " ancles")  did  not  slip. 

38  I  have  pursued  mine  enemies,  and  overtaken  them : 
Neither  did  I  turn  again  until  they  were  consumed ; 

*  The  expression  "from  mine  iniquity"  is  striking.  It  might  at  first 
sight  be  regarded  as  alluding  to  connate  depravity,  (Ps.  li.  7,)  but  from 
comparison  with  Prov.  xx.  9,  Ps.  xxvi.  1,  it  seems  more  natural  to  explain 
it  "the  iniquity  to  which  I  feel  myself  tempted." 

f  Or,  "  With  the  faithless  thou  wilt  show  thyself  faithless." 


120  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

39  I  have  wounded  them  that  were  not  able  to  rise : 
They  are  fallen  under  my  feet. 

40  For  thou  hast  girded  me  with  strength  unto  the  battle 
Thou  hast  subdued  under  me  those  that  rose  up  against  n 

41  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the  necks  of  mine  enemies, 
That  I  might  destroy  them  that  hate  me. 

42  They  cried,  but  there  was  none  to  save  them : 
Even  unto  the  LORD,  but  he  answered  them  not. 

43  Then  did  I  beat  them  small  as  the  dust  before  the  win 
I  did  cast  them  out  as  the  dirt  in  the  streets. 

44  Thou  hast  delivered  me  from  the  strivings  of  my  peop' 
And  thou  hast  made  me  the  head  of  the  heathen : 

A  people  whom  I  have  not  known  serve  me. 

45  As  soon  as  they  heard  of  me,  they  did  obey  me : 

The  sons  of  the  stranger  (or  "of  the  strange  land")  <3 
flatter  me. 

46  The  sons  of  the  stranger  (or  "of  the  strange  land")  d 

fade  away, 
And  were  afraid  out  of  their  close  places. 

47  The  LORD  liveth ;  and  blessed  be  my  Rock ; 
And  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted. 

48  It  is  God  that  avengeth  me, 

And  subdueth  the  people  under  me. 

49  He  delivereth  me  from  mine  enemies : 

Yea,  thouliftest  me  up  above  those  that  rise  up  against  m 
Thou  hast  delivered  me  from  the  violent  man. 

50  Therefore  will  I  give  thanks  unto  thee,  0  LORD,  amoi 

the  heathen, 
And  sing  praises  unto  thy  name. 

51  Great  deliverance  giveth  he  to  his  king, 
And  showeth  mercy  to  his  anointed, 
To  David,  and  to  his  seed  for  evermore. 

V.  1.  The  same  inscription,  except  the  words  "to  the  ch 
musician0  and  "the  servant  of  the  Lord,"  occurs  in  the  copy 
this  psalm  in  the  book  of  Samuel.  It  consequently  preceded  tl 
psalm  at  a  very  remote  period,  and  the  historian  omitted  th< 
expressions  only  which  were  ill-adapted  to  historical  compositi< 
In  all  probability  it  was  composed  by  David  himself;  its  solei 
poetic  expression  favours  this  view:  cf.  the  solemn  introductic 
to  the  song  of  Balaam,  (Numbers  xxiv.  4.  16,)  the  speeches  of  t 
prophets,  (Isaiah  xiii.  1;  Hab.  i.  1;  Nah.  i.  1,)  and  the  psalm 
Habakkuk.  (Hab.  iii.  1.)  It  is  by  no  means  strange  that  Da^ 
calls  himself  "the  servant  of  God/7  though  that  appellative  occi 


PSALM   XVIII.  121 

besides  only  in  Psalm  xxxvi.  1.  The  term  "  servant  of  God"  is 
used  either  of  any  pious  man,  anxious  to  make  the  commandments 
of  God  the  rule  of  his  life,  or  of  those  who  are  called  to  specific 
services  of  God.  In  the  former  sense  David  calls  himself  "the 
servant  of  God,"  (Psalm  xix.  12.  14,)  in  the  latter  he  is  so  called 
by  others.  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  4.  21.)  In  the  historical  books  too  he 
calls  himself  "the  servant  of  God."  (2  Sam.  vii.  26;  xix.  20; 
xxiii.  1.)  The  apostles  designate  themselves  in  the  same  manner, 
as  the  servants  of  God.  (Titus  i.  1;  James  i.  1.)  The  expression, 
"and  from  the  hand  of  Saul,"  after  mention  had  been  made  of  his 
remaining  enemies,  should  be  explained  by  the  usage  of  singling 
out  the  chief  of  a  class. 

V.  2,  3.  The  confession  of  David's  cordial  love  to  God  in  the 
beginning  of  the  psalm  is  very  touching,  for  it  represents,  as  it 
were,  the  sum  total  of  his  experience.  The  great  mass  of  men,  and 
kings  in  particular,  remember  in  the  retrospect  of  a  life  rich  in 
mercies,  the  gifts  only.  David  manifests  in  simple  and  hearty 
expressions  his  consciousness  that  a  life  eventful  like  his,  with  all 
its  gifts  and  mercies,  is  mainly  designed  to  direct  his  eyes  to  the 
Giver  of  all  good.  His  God  is  one  and  all  to  him  :  while  others 
yield  to  the  temptation  to  seek  for  other  helpers  besides  God,  he 
hardly  knows  how  to  find  words  to  express  the  all-sufficiency  of 
God,  and  the  riches  of  salvation  treasured  up  in  him.  There  is, 
however,  one  condition  on  which  alone  those  riches  can  be  enjoyed. 
We  must  call  upon  God  in  faith  if  we  desire  to  participate  in  the 
fulness  of  his  grace.  David,  therefore,  energetically  asserts  that 
help  is  ready  and  secure,  provided  that  believing  prayer  be  not 
wanting.  Just  as  our  physical  hunger  gets  satisfied  by  opening 
our  mouth  before  the  benefactor  who  would  fill  it,  so  our  souls,  and 
the  mouth  of  the  soul  is  prayer.  (Psalm  Ixxxi.  11.) 

V.  4 — 7.  Let  the  deliverances  of  God  be  ever  so  great  and  signal, 
unbelief  will  not  fail  to  lessen,  nor  insensibility  to  requite  them  with 
ingratitude.  David,  anxious  to  exculpate  himself  from  ingratitude, 
and  to  move  unbelievers  by  his  testimony,  speaks  of  the  mercies  he 
had  received  in  the  strongest  expressions  which  language  can  fur- 
nish. He  powerfully  contrasts  heaven  and  hell,  death  and  God, 
himself  in  the  depths,  God  in  the  heights,  the  billows  of  destruction 
and  the  snares  of  death,  and  his  sole  weapon,  unseemly  in  appear- 
ance, but  if  used  in  faith  all-sufficient — the  weapon  of  prayer.  He 
uses  figurative  language ;  but  his  history  shows  that  the  billows  of 
death  did  really  often  compass  and  threaten  to  devour  him.  In 
more  than  one  instance  there  was  but  one  step  between  David  and 
the  sword  of  the  destroyer.  The  javelin  thrust  at  him  entered  the 
wall  above  his  shoulder,  he  escaped  through  a  window  from  his 
pursuers,  and  the  seam  of  a  mountain  separated  him  from  his 
deadly  enemies.  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  26.) 

V.  8 — 19.     David  calls  the  full  force  of  poetical  imagery  to  aid, 


122  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

to  describe  in  a  becoming  manner  the  marvels  of  his  deliverances. 
He  means  to  say  that  they  were  as  manifest  as  the  signs  of  heaven 
and  earth,  as  sudden  and  powerful  as  the  phenomena  in  the  king- 
dom of  nature  surprise  terrified  mortals.  Deliverance  being  his 
theme,  he  might  have  taken  the  figure  from  the  peaceable  pheno- 
mena of  the  heavens.  But  since  man  heeds  heaven  more  in  anger 
than  in  blessing,  and  regards  God  more  when  he  descends  to  earth 
in  the  storm  than  in  the  rainbow^  David  describes  the  blessing 
condescension  of  God  by  the  figure  of  a  tempest.  In  order  to 
thoroughly  appreciate  the  beauty  and  truthfulness  of  this  figure, 
we  should  endeavour  to  realize  the  full  power  of  an  oriental  storm, 
as  it  is  described  in  Psalm  xxix.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xxix.)  Solitary 
lightning  precedes  the  discharge — this  is  meant  by  the  coals  in  v.  9 : 
the  clouds  approach  the  mountain  summits — "the  heavens  bow/' 
as  verse  10  has  it;  the  storm  shakes  its  pinions,*  (v.  11;)  enwrapped 
in  thick  clouds  as  in  a  tent,  God  descends  to  the  earth;  hail  (not 
unfrequently  attending  eastern  storms,  Psalm  Ixxviii.  48,)  and 
lightning  issue  from  the  black  clouds,  through  the  dissolving  layers 
of  which  is  seen  the  fiery  splendour  which  hides  the  Lord  of  nature, 
(v.  12,  13.)  He  speaks — and  thunder  is  his  voice :  he  shoots — 
and  flashes  of  lightning  are  his  arrows.  At  his  rebuke  and  at  the 
blast  of  his  breath,  the  earth  recedes:  the  sea  foams  up  and  its 
beds  are  seen :  the  land  bursts  and  the  foundations  of  the  world 
are  discovered,  (v.  14 — 16.)  And  lo!  an  arm  of  deliverance 
issues  forth  from  the  black  clouds  and  the  destructive  fire,  grasps 
the  wretched  one  who  had  cried  out  from  the  depths,  pulls  him 
forth,  and  delivers  him  from  all  his  enemies !  Yes,  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  has  done  marvellous  things  in  the  life  of  David.  But  the  eye 
of  faith  alone  could  perceive  in  them  all  the  hand  of  God.  Thou- 
sands whose  experiences  of  the  delivering  hand  of  God  are  not  less 
signal  than  those  of  David,  stop  short  at  the  powers  of  nature,  and 
instead  of  bending  the  knee  before  the  all-merciful  God,  content 
themselves  to  express  with  cold  hearts  their  admiration  of  the 
changes  of  the  destiny  of  man. 

V.  20—25.  The  full  energy  of  David's  mind  had  in  the  pre- 
ceding verses  depicted  in  lofty  touches  the  works  of  God.  He 
now  details  them.  His  first  sentiment  is,  that  God  rules  the 
destinies  of  man,  and  rewards  sincerity ,  and  that  human  affairs  are 
in  the  aggregate  governed  by  the  laws  of  punitive  justice.  It 
would  be  folly  to  infer  from  this  passage,  that  David  intended  to 
assert  absolute  sinlessness  before  the  Highest.  No,  the  sublime 
record  of  the  conviction  of  sin  in  Israel  furnished  in  the  speech  of 

*  The  cherub  with  the  countenances  of  man,  the  lion,  the  bull,  and  the 
eagle,  (combining  in  itself,  as  it  were,  the  intelligence,  majesty,  strength, 
and  life  of  nature,)  was  a  symbol  of  the  powers  of  nature.  When  powerful 
elements,  as  in  a  storm,  are  serving  God,  he  is  said  to  ride  on  a  cherub. 


PSALM  XVIII.  123 

Elipliaz  to  Job,  which,  sends  a  chill  through  marrow  and  bones,  is 
doubtless  expressive  of  David's  confession  of  sin : — 

"Now  a  thing  was  stealthily  brought  to  me, 

"And  mine  ear  received  the  whispering  thereof. 

"In  thoughts  of  the  visions  of  the  night, 

"When  deep  sleep  falleth  on  men.      Fear  came  upon  me  and 

trembling, 

"Which  made  all  my  bones  to  shake. 
"Then  a  spirit  passed  before  my  face, 
"And  the  hair  of  my  flesh  stood  up. 
"There  stood — but  I  knew  not   the  form  thereof — an   image 

before  mine  eyes : 
"I  heard  a  still  voice,  saying, 
" Shall  mortal  man  be  just  before  God? 
"And  man  pure  before  his  Maker? 
"Behold,  he  putteth  no  trust  in  his  servants, 
"And  his  angels  he  chargeth  with  folly."* 

What  shall  we  make  of  the  penitential  psalms  and  their  mournful 
complaints  of  the  praises  of  God,  who  forgives  sin,  if  David  feels 
himself  guiltless  before  him  ?  This  passage  is  to  be  understood  in 
the  sense  in  which  Paul  speaks  on  the  one  hand,  of  rejoicing  in 
a  good  conscience,  (2  Cor.  i.  12,)  of  which  nobody  was  to  rob 
him,  and  says  on  the  other,  "  For  I  know  nothing  by  myself/' 
(i.  e.  according  to  Luther,  "I  am  not  conscious  of  anything  my- 
self":) "yet  am  I  not  hereby  justified;  but  he  that  judgeth  me  is 
the  Lord."  (1  Cor.  iv.  4.)  John  writes  in  consecutive  order, 
"But  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light — the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  (1  John  i.  7.)  It 
is  very  evident  from  all  this  that  it  is  one  thing  sincerely  to  strive 
to  walk  according  to  the  commandments  of  God,  and  another  to  be 
free  from  all  sin.  David  might  have  praised  the  cleanness  of  his 
hands,  the  caution  of  his  ways,  and  the  constancy  of  his  having 
had  before  his  eyes  the  statutes  of  God,  but  it  was  no  doubt  accom- 
panied by  the  acknowledgment  of  the  necessity  of  the  daily  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins.  He  says,  Psalm  xix.  12,  "  Who  can  understand 
his  errors?  cleanse  thou  me  from  secret  faults,"  immediately  after 
the  assertion  that  the  commandments  of  God  have  instructed  him, 
and  that  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward,  just  as  if  he 
had  been  anxious  to  prevent  people  thinking  too  highly  of  him. 
Comparing  himself  with  others,  he  spoke  highly  of  himself — but 
before  God  he  did  on  that  account  no  less  join  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  millions  of  the  children  of  men,  whose  hope  is  salvation  by 
grace. 

V.  26 — 28.     From  his  own  experience,  that  they  who  trust  in 

*  Job  iv.  12—18. 


124  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

God  trust  well,  and  that  those  who  do  not  forsake  Mm  will  never 
be  forsaken  by  him,  David  is  induced  to  state  the  general  law, 
which  regulates  the  conduct  of  God  to  man.  To  terrify  hypocrites 
and  the  despisers  of  God,  he  shrinks  not  from  using  the  expression 
that  "with  the  froward  (faithless)  he  will  show  himself  froward." 
Similar  language  occurs,  Lev.  xxvi.  23, 24 ;  Prov.  iii.  24.  The 
fact  that  men  treat  the  severity  and  terrors  of  the  Divine  judg- 
ments, as  stated  in  the  Scriptures,  with  utter  indifference,  seems  to 
render  it  almost  matter  of  necessity  that  unusual  language  should 
be  used  to  rouse  them  from  their  lethargy ;  of  such  a  nature  is  the 
passage  before  us.  The  meaning,  however,  is  simply  this.  God 
will  forsake  and  suddenly  put  to  shame  those  who  forsake  him. 
Although  the  preparation  for  such  sudden  destruction  would  in 
general  language  be  termed  "faithlessness,"  we  find  that  even  men 
in  daily  life  absolve  themselves  from  the  duty  of  keeping  faith 
with  the  faithless.  Such  a  procedure  is  with  God  nothing  but  the 
administration  of  the  immutable  laws  of  punitive  justice. 

V.  29 — 43.  He  proceeds  to  praise  separately  the  greatness  and 
variety  of  Divine  mercies,  especially  the  aid  and  support  he  had 
received  in  his  martial  enterprises.  Heroes  who  have  gained  vic- 
tories by  personal  prowess  and  bodily  strength,  which  was  more  the 
case  in  ancient  than  in  modern  times,  are  wont  to  look  to  them- 
selves, and  to  ascribe  to  the  arm  of  flesh  the  praise  which  belongs 
to  God.  How  much  then  is  David  to  be  admired,  who  in  every 
respect  refers  both  his  strength  and  victories  to  God.  The  lamp 
of  v.  29  is,  as  in  Psalm  cxxxii.  17,  the  symbol  of  joy  and  bless- 
ing; the  ways  of  God  in  v.  31,  mean  his  gracious  promises. 
When  he  asks,  v.  32,  "For  who  is  God  save  the  Lord?  or  who 
is  a  rock  save  our  God?"  his  meaning  is  not  that  there  are  other 
gods,  but  that  whatever  sources  of  might,  or  strength,  or  happiness 
men  may  conceive,  their  only  source,  though  rarely  acknowledged, 
is  the  God  of  Israel.  As  in  ancient  times  heroes  were  not  only 
praised  for  skilfulness  in  battle,  but  also  for  skilfulness  in  flight; 
(Joel  ii.  7;)  and  as  David  was,  during  the  term  of  his  persecu- 
tion, compelled  to  seek  his  safety  more  by  flight  to  the  mountain 
heights  than  by  actual  combat;  he  forgets  not  to  praise  the  Lord 
for  the  possession  of  that  skilfulness,  (v.  34;  Hab.  iii.  19.)  An 
uncommon  amount  of  muscular  strength  was  needed  to  bend  the 
heavy  steel  bows.  Besides  this  weapon  of  attack,  he  names  also 
the  shield  as  his  weapon  of  defence,  (v.  35,  36.)  The  chances  of 
falling  are  greatest  in  narrow  paths — but  God  had  supported  him, 
(v.  37.)  The  successes  of  his  wars  have  rendered  it  evident  who 
did  fight  with  him,  (v.  38 — 43.)  Expressions  like  these  we  read 
here  may  sound  too  martial  and  sanguinary,  and  doubts  may  be 
entertained  whether  those  who  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  would 
use  them ;  but  we  must  not  forget  to  distinguish  between  a  war- 
rior, whom  God  has  instituted  into  his  office,  and  other  Christians. 


PSALM   XVIII.  125 

Now  if  the  office  of  destroying  be  instituted  as  much  against  those 
who  disturb  order  from  without,  and  sin  against  the  justice  of  God, 
as  government  and  police  are  against  the  disturbers  of  order  from 
within,  then  the  martial  courage,  which  glories  in  feats  of  destruc- 
tion, cannot  be  wrong,  provided  they  were  done  in  a  righteous 
cause,  and  therefore  to  the  glory  of  God.  The  justice  and  causes 
of  the  wars  of  David  are  certainly  not  always  stated;  but  is  it 
likely  that  one  who  in  private  life  used  to  shrink  from  unjustly 
shedding  one  drop  of  blood — though  it  were  that  of  his  adver- 
saries*— would  have  wilfully  begun  unjust  wars?  The  justice  of 
his  wars  against  rebels  like  Absalom  and  Sheba  is  established — yet 
how  lenient  was  his  conduct  towards  individuals  after  the  victory ! 
(2  Sam.  xix.)  2  Sam.  x.  records  the  gross  contempt  of  the  laws 
of  nations  which  provoked  the  second  Syrian  war,  while  Psalm  ix. 
and  Ix.  speak  of  the  fierce  invasions  which  led  to  the  subjugation 
of  Edom. 

V.  44 — 46.  Not  only  foreign  foes  rose  up  against  him,  his  own 
people  suffered  themselves  several  times  to  be  misled  to  rebel  against 
their  anointed  king.  But  he  carried  eventually  the  palm,  through 
the  Lord.  (Psalm  Ixxviii.  70,  71.)  He  had  at  one  time  been  the 
poor  and  unknown  shepherd  of  his  father  Jesse's  flocks;  for  ten 
years  a  fugitive,  tossed  about  like  a  dry  leaf,  which  the  wind  is 
chasing:  strangers  and  his  own  people  had  assailed  him;  yet  the 
once  deeply  abased  David  is  now  highly  exalted,  and  abides  at  the 
end  of  his  career,  the  battle  over,  the  honour  and  glory  of  his  faith- 
ful followers,  the  terror  of  all  his  adversaries.  He  is  become  the 
type  of  his  great  descendant,  to  whom  it  behoved  through  many 
tribulations  to  enter  into  His  glory.  (Luke  xxiv.  26.)  It  is  said 
of  the  risen  Saviour,  that  he  showed  unto  his  disciples  from  the 
Scriptures,  that  "Christ  ought  to  have  suffered  these  things  and 
to  enter  into  his  glory;"  we  cannot  doubt  tbat  he  instructed  them 
from  the  example  of  the  Old  Testament  saints,  and  David  in  par- 
ticular, that  the  royal  road  to  the  kingdom  is  "  out  of  tribulation 
to  glory ;"  which  if  trod  by  the  members,  could  not  have  been  with- 
held from  the  Head. 

V.  47,  48.  He  exultingly  owns  the  Lord  as  the  King  of  kings, 
exclaiming,  "The  Lord  liveth,"  or  "Let  the  Lord  live,"  an  address 
of  praise  formerly  paid  to  kings.  (1  Sam.  x.  24.)  He  had  gone 
into  all  his  battles  relying  on  the  Lord's  aid,  and  therefore  thanks 
the  Lord  for  it.  Though  he  praises  God  for  the  revenge  granted 
unto  him,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  the  Scriptures  the  term 
"revenge"  has  a  different  sense  from  that  which  it  bears  in  general 
language.  It  refers  not  to  gratification  of  selfish  passion,  but  to 

*  Notice  his  conduct  towards  Saul,  or  that  at  the  murder  of  his  rival 
Ishbosheth,  the  son  of  Saul,  (2  Sam.  iv.  11 ;  iii.  28,  etc.)  at  the  murder  of 
Abner,  etc. 


126  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  exercise  of  recompense  needed  for  the  maintenance  of  holy 
laws.  So  rulers  are  said  to  bear  the  sword  of  revenge.  (Rom. 
xiii.  4.)  Is  it  likely  that  David  should  have  thanked  God  for  that 
"revenge"  if  he  had  not  been  sure  that  he  was  fighting  for  a  just 
cause  and  that  at  God's  bidding? 

F.  50,  51.  His  gratitude  causes  him  to  mount  higher  and 
higher.  With  a  true  missionary  spirit  he  holds  it  but  a  little  thing 
to  offer  gratitude  to  the  Lord  in  the  congregations  of  Israel : — he 
would  like  as  a  missionary  to  go  to  all  the  nations  and  to  loudly 
praise  and  magnify  the  God  of  Israel.  How  copious  must  the 
stream  of  gratitude  flow  in  the  heart  of  one,  who,  deeming  house 
and  country  too  confined  for  his  songs  of  praise,  cannot  feel  at  ease 
till  they  sound  throughout  all  the  world,  and  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  form  his  audience!  David's  praise  and  gratitude  are  not 
confined  to  the  past  and  the  present.  We  are  reminded  of  what 
Nathan  the  prophet  had  told  him :  "  I  will  set  up  thy  seed  after 
thee,  which  shall  proceed  out  of  thy  bowels,  and  I  will  establish 
his  kingdom;  he  shall  build  an  house  for  my  name,  and  I  will 
stablish  the  throne  of  his  kingdom  for  ever."  (2  Sam.  vii.  12,  13.) 
He  praises  beforehand  the  blessings  promised  to  his  seed.  This 
prophecy  has  an  ultimate  reference  to  that  seed  of  David,  who  in  a 
higher  sense  is  to  build  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  to  wear  the 
crown,  when  all  earthly  crowns  shall  have  ceased,  and  Israel  after 
the  flesh  shall  have  become  Israel  after  the  Spirit.  (Gal.  vi.  16;  iv. 
26.)  His  praise  therefore,  though  perhaps  not  thoroughly  realized 
by  David  himself,  points  ultimately  to  Christ  and  his  kingdom,  to 
"  the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  root  of  David,  who  hath  pre- 
vailed to  open  the  book  and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof."  (Rev. 
v.  5.) 


PSALM  XIX. 

A  SONG  of  praise,  celebrating  the  proclamation  of  God  in  nature 
and  in  the  law.  Since  v.  8  proceeds  without  any  marked  transition 
to  the  praise  of  the  law,  and  since  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
psalm  is  not  equal  to  the  sublimity  of  the  former,  it  might  be  held 
that  the  two  portions  were  originally  two  separate  songs;  but  this 
view  falls  at  once  to  the  ground,  since  the  first  would  have  no  con- 
clusion, and  the  second  no  beginning.  It  is  evident  from  Psalm 
xxix.  10, 11,  and  xciii.  4,  5,  that  the  transition  from  nature  to  reli- 
gion, or  the  connexion  of  the  praise  of  the  revelation  of  God  in 
nature  with  that  in  the  law,  was  by  no  means  unusual  with  the 
Psalmists.  Sudden  and  unconnected  transitions  of  this  kind  are  of 
frequent  occurrence;  e.g.  Psalm  xxxvi.  6;  a  passage  worthy  of  our 


PSALM  XIX.  127 

special  regard,  because  the  Psalmist,  engaged  in  describing  the 
blessings  and  protection  enjoyed  by  the  godly  in  spite  of  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  ungodly,  suddenly  adverts  to  the  traces  of  divine 
mercy  in  nature:  a  transition  which  is  certainly  very  striking. 
The  first  portion  of  this  psalm  refers  to  the  speech,  the  proclama- 
tion^ or  sermon  of  God  in  the  heavens,  which  would  greatly  facilitate 
the  transition  to  the  word  of  God  in  the  law :  or  we  may  more  cor- 
rectly say  that  the  praise  of  God's  voice  in  nature  is  the  introduction 
to  the  praise  of  the  law,  which  was  the  main  object  of  the  Psalmist. 
Nor  does  the  poetic  sublimity  of  expression  which  distinguishes 
the  former  from  the  latter  portion,  militate  against  the  unity  of 
both,  because  sublimity  is  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the 
psalms  of  nature. 

The  Psalmist,  deeply  impressed  with  the  blessings  of  piety  and 
of  the  divine  law,  looks  at  nature  and  the  heavens,  and  feels  that 
an  attentive  observer  may  listen  to  the  majestic  evidence  of  the 

g^ry  of  God.  The  heavens  preach  a  never  ceasing  sernion  on 
od,  which  goes  as  far  as  the  heavens  themselves,  (v.  2 — 5.)  The 
sun  -is  the  chief  preacher,  from  whose  rays  there  is  nothing  con- 
cealed, (v.  5 — 7.)  Dwelling  on  the  object  which  so  deeply  affects 
him,  David  proceeds  to  the  praise  of  the  law,  which  so  powerfully 
testifies  to  the  self- same  God :  he  declares  it  intrinsically  good  and 
sure,  and  on  that  account  refreshing  and  enlightening  to  man, 
(v.  8,  9.)  Its  commandments  are  pure  and  true,  and  therefore 
immutable  and  righteous,  and  the  sweetest  possession  of  man, 
(v.  10,  11.)  The  Psalmist  speaks  from  his  own  experience  that 
they  have  admonished  him,  but  as  if  he  had  said  too  much,  he 
forth  with  prays  for  the  forgiveness  of  his  secret  and  unconscious  sins. 
He  is  not  even  sure  to  be  free  from  presumptuous  sins,  (v.  12. 
14.)  He  concludes  his  prayer  in  a  peaceful  and  confident  frame 
of  mind,  sure  that  God  is  his  strength  and  his  Redeemer,  (v.  15.) 


1  rp 


0  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


2  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God ; 
And  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork. 

3  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

And  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge. 

4  It  is  not  a  speech  or  a  language, 
The  voice  whereof  is  not  heard. 

5  The  sound  thereof  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 
And  the  words  thereof  to  the  end  of  the  world, 
Where  he  hath  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun, 

6  Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 
And  rejoiceth  as  a  hero  to  run  the  race. 


128  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

7  His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  the  heaven, 
And  his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it : 

And  there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof. 

8  The  law  of  the  LORD  is  perfect,  refreshing  the  soul : 
The  testimony  of  the  LORD  is  sure,  making  wise  the 

:    ,      simple. 

9  The  statutes  of  the  LORD  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart: 
The  commandment  of  the  LORD  is  pure,  enlightening  the 

eyes. 

10  The  fear  of  the  LORD  is  clean,  enduring  for  ever : 

The  judgments  of  the   LORD   are   true   and  righteous 
altogether. 

11  More  precious  are  they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine 

gold: 
Sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb. 

12  Moreover  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned: 
And  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward. 

13  (But)  who  can  mark  his  errors  ? 
Cleanse  thou  me  from  unknown  faults. 

14  Keep  back  thy  servant  also  from  intentional  sins;* 
Let  them  not  have  dominion  over  me : 

Then  shall  I  be  upright, 

And  I  shall  be  innocent  from  great  transgression. 

15  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  my 

heart, 

Be  acceptable  in  thy  sight, 
0  LORD,  my  strength,  and  my  redeemer. 

V.  2.  Lost  in  marvel  he  contemplates  the  expanse  of  heaven,  of 
which  it  is  said,  (Job  xxxvii.  18,")  "  Canst  thou  like  him  spread 
out  the  sky,  firm  as  a  molten  looking-glass?"  Who  keeps  the  stars 
and  spheres  in  their  liquid  space?  Who  directs  the  course  of  their 

*  The  word  TftTntiYiTr*  always  means  "intentional  sins,"  (Deut.  i.  43; 
xvii.  13;  Exod.  xxi.  14,)  in  contradistinction  to  mytj  use(*  v-  13,  of  "un- 
conscious sins"  (Lev.  iv.  2;  v.  15.)  "ri^Fl  'ls  used  when  God  restrains  man 

from  sin,  (Gen.  xx.  6;  1  Sam.  xxv.  39.)  The  masculine  plural,  though 
less  frequent  than  the  feminine  plural,  designates  abstract  terms.  (Psalm 
xvi.  6.)  From  these  details  &n-jt  should  be  translated  "presumption,"  in 

the  sense  of  wilful  transgression.  If  we  render  with  a  great  many,  "from 
proud  presumptuous  men,"  the  best  explanation  is  that  of  Aben  Ezra, 
"from  the  society  and  seduction  of  the  wicked."  This  view,  however, 
would  introduce  an  extraneous  thought  into  the  text,  and  not  cope  with 
the  connection. 


PSALM  XIX.  129 

thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands,  side  by  side,  above  and 
below  one  another,  so  that  none  of  them  faileth,  comes  too  early  or 
too  late  ?  Though  all  preachers  on  earth  should  grow  silent,  and 
every  human  mouth  cease  from  publishing  the  glory  of  God,  the 
heavens  above  will  never  cease  to  declare  and  proclaim  his  majesty 
and  glory. 

F.  3.  They  are  for  ever  preaching;  for  like  an  unbroken  chain 
their  message  is  delivered  from  day  to  day,  and  from  night  to 
night.  At  the  silence  of  one  herald,  another  takes  up  his  speech. 
One  day  like  the  other  discloses  the  same  spectacles  of  his  glory, 
and  one  night  like  the  other  the  same  wonders  of  his  majesty. 

F.  4.  Though  nature  be  hushed  and  quiet  when  the  sun  in  his 
glory  has  reached  the  zenith  on  the  azure  sky — though  the  world 
keep  her  silent  festival  when  the  stars  shine  brightest  at  night — 
yet,  says  the  Psalmist,  they  speak;  aye,  holy  silence  itself  is  a 
speech,  provided  there  be  the  ear  to  hear  it. 

F.  5.  Their  sound  is  coextensive  with  the  heavens,  their 
speech  coextensive  with  the  earth.  Paul  declares  on  this  ground 
the  heathen  is  inexcusable;  for  if  their  hearts  were  but  pure,  the 
splendours  of  the  glorious  majesty  above  would  become  reflected  in 
their  hearts,  and  be  the  witnesses  of  their  Creator.  Nature  gives 
us  the  information  we  ask  her  for,  but  no  more :  but  the  heathen 
would  not  ask  for  a  holy  and  almighty  God.  The  poet  speaks  here 
of  the  noblest  witness  whom  God  has  set  in  the  heavens.  Though 
the  infinite  hosts  of  the  stars  fill  our  minds  with  more  ineffable 
and  illimitable  anticipations  than  the  sun,  yet  is  the  impression  of 
his  majesty  more  definite,  and  on  that  account  more  overwhelming. 
He  stands  like  the  ambassador  and  representative  of  God  in  the 
heavens.  We  find  that  man,  whose  heart  is  so  strongly  attached 
to  the  creature,  has  worshipped  this  work  of  God  rather  than  him- 
self. David  speaks  of  the  sun  as  a  man  who,  worn  out  with  the 
fatigues  of  the  day,  returns  to  his  home.  Thus  when  night  sets  in, 
he  daily  retires  for  rest  to  his  habitation  at  the  seam  of  the  sky. 
(Hab.  iii.  11,  in  the  original.) 

F.  6,  7.  But  at  morn,  refreshed  and  joyous,  he  steps  like  a 
bridegroom  from  his  chamber  on  the  azure  expanse,  and  like  the 
heroes  of  old,  mighty  in  the  race,  he  steadily  and  manfully  runs  his 
course.  He  passes  over  the  vault  of  heaven,  and  his  rays  reach  to 
the  limits  of  his  course.  Behold  him  in  his  splendour,  restlessness, 
and  power,  as  the  preacher  to  insensible  man.  If  we  were  not  so 
insensible  and  obdurate  in  heart  as  we  are,  the  sight  of  the  sun 
and  the  heavens  could  hardly  fail  causing  us  to  infer  the  glory  of 
the  invisible  being  of  God  from  the  glory  lavished  upon  his 
creature,  and  making  us  to  alternately  realize  ecstatic  joy  and  holy 
awe.  Multitudes  praise  with  untiring  zeal  the  beauty  of  creation, 
and  point  it  out  as  worthy  of  their  affection  and  admiration,  and 
are  yet  devoid  of  the  thought,  that  the  glory  of  the  Creator  is 


130  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

loftier  by  far,  and  that  he  is  worthier  by  far  of  our  love  and  adora- 
tion :  yea,  they  would  be  ashamed  to  speak  with  equal  warmth  of 
the  love  of  God.  Others  again,  while  admiring  God  in  nature,  are 
unable  to  recognize  him  in  the.  Scriptures.  The  heavens  and  the 
earth  do  certainly  set  forth  the  omnipotence  and  wisdom,  the  love 
and  majesty  of  God;  but  the  Bible  only  sets  forth  his  holiness. 
Equal  susceptibilities  for  the  holy,  the  beautiful,  and  the  sublime, 
are  needed,  if  the  omnipotence,  wisdom,  love,  and  majesty,  of  the 
laws  of  the  moral  government,  are  to  affect  man  as  do  those  of  the 
physical,  and  if  the  great  moral  phenomena  of  the  Bible  are  to 
produce  impressions,  as  do  the  phenomena  of  the  heavens  and  the 
earth.  The  holy,  we  grant,  may  be  called  the  beautiful,  as  it  con- 
sists in  the  harmony  of  the  soul  in  itself  and  with  God ;  we  grant 
also,  that  a  holy  soul  is  sure  to  be  a  beautiful  soul.  But  many, 
though  transported  with  the  beauty  of  nature,  or  delighted  with  a 
human  work  of  art,  have  no  susceptibility  for  the  secret  develop- 
ment of  a  soul  in  harmony  with  itself  and  God.  The  Psalmist  is 
not  less  affected  by  the  moral  beauty  of  the  Divine  law,  and  the 
soul  yielding  itself  to  it,  than  by  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  nature. 
He  recognizes  on  that  account,  in  the  speech  of  the  heavens  and  of 
the  earth,  the  same  voice  of  God  which  speaks  in  the  law.  Hence 
the  rapid  transition,  which  cannot  but  remain  unintelligible  to  a 
great  many. 

V.  8,  9.  The  same  God  of  omnipotence  and  wisdom,  mercy 
and  majesty,  has  revealed  himself  in  his  law.  His  law  is  true  and 
spotless  in  itself,  sure  and  convincing  to  man :  on  that  account  it 
renders  happy  the  wretched,  and  makes  wise  the  foolish.  This 
thought  is  differently  expressed  in  verses  8,  9,  to  stamp  it  more 
thoroughly  upon  our  hearts.  He  who  has  experienced  this,  will 
recognize  in  the  law  the  omnipotence  of  God  reflected  in  nature, 
and  consider  the  statutes  of  the  law  as  eternal  as  are  the  laws  of 
nature:  he  will  admire  the  wisdom  by  virtue  of  which  the  moral 
commandments  are  so  marvellously  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the 
human  heart:  he  will  get  refreshed  by  the  love  which,  though  it 
rigorously  insists  upon  the  observance  of  its  statutes,  aims  only  at 
our  own  happiness :  he  will  worship  before  the  Divine  Majesty,  the 
expression  of  which  is  equally  sublime  in  the  events  of  the  moral 
government,  as  in  the  phenomena  of  nature. 

F.  10,  11.  The  commandments  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord  are 
immutable  because  of  their  purity,  and  righteous  because  of  their 
truth.  If  man  receives  them  into  his  will,  he  will  find  them  more 
precious  than  any  earthly  riches,  and  sweeter  than  the  sweetest 
food.  Just  as  medicine  does  not  cure,  nor  food  nourish,  until  it 
has  been  masticated,  and  entered  into  our  constitution,  so  a  merely 
outward  gaze  and  admiration  cannot  yield  an  idea  of  that  precipus- 
ness  and  sweetness :  they  are  not  tasted  until  the  commandments 
of  God  have  been  received  into  our  will. 


PSALM  XX.  131 

F.  12,  13.  The  Psalmist,  not  satisfied  with  outwardly  admiring 
and  adoring  the  commandments  of  God,  adopted  them  as  the  law 
of  his  life.  He,  therefore,  calls  himself  the  servant  of  God,  and 
can  speak  of  the  enjoyment  of  the  great  reward  of  holiness  already 
here  on  earth.  For  if  the  reception  of  the  will  of  God  into  ours 
confers  upon  us  the  privilege  of  revealing  God  in  and  through  us, 
and  of  becoming  his  instruments  and  representatives  on  earth,  then 
a  holy  life  is  a  participation  of  the  eternal  life  of  God.  Are  we, 
therefore,  not  justified  in  speaking  of  the  great  reward  of  godliness? 
But  David,  as  if  afraid  to  liave  said  too  much,  forthwith  remem- 
bers secret  faults  which  need  Divine  forgiveness.  The  grace  of 
God  so  influences  the  regenerate  Christian,  that  conscious  and 
intentional  sins  do  indeed  vanish,  and  only  unconscious  and 
thoughtless  sins  remain.  So  David  thinks  first  of  transgressions 
of  this  light  nature.  But  as  the  regenerate,  while  the  tendency  to 
evil  which  he  derives  from  Adam  is  not  yet  wholly  extinct,  can 
never  become  sufficiently  secure  to  answer  for  himself  in  evil  hours, 
when  temptation  from  without  and  desire  from  within  meet,  so 
David  will  not  surrender  himself  to  a  false  security,  but  seeks  in 
God  the  strength  and  grace  which  are  to  preserve  him  from  inten- 
tional sin. 

V.  14.  Concerning  intentional  sins  he  prays,  "Let  them  not 
have  dominion  over  me,"  thinking  that  a  condition  of  that  kind 
could  only  be  brought  about  by  some  sudden  invasion  or  act  of 
violence  done  to  our  better  man.  In  the  event  of  the  preserving 
care  of  God  not  failing  him,  he  hopes  to  reach  the  position,  that 
transgression  whether  great  or  small  shall  find  no  place  in  his 
life. 

V.  15.  These  expressions  indicate  peace  in  God.  Our  pray- 
ers, because  they  are  hardly  at  any  time  the  pure  eifusions  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  require,  as  well  as  our  good  works,  the  petition  of  for- 
giveness. His  petition,  however,  that  the  words  of  his  mouth  might 
be  well-pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  makes  us  feel  that  he  was  by 
no  means  devoid  of  the  assurance  that  they  were  so.  "  My  God 
and  my  Kedeemer"  is  the  last  word  in  which  his  soul  reposes. 


PSALM  XX. 

A  PSALM  of  supplication,  occasioned  by  the  king's  going  out  to 
war.  We  infer  from  verse  8  that  it  belongs  to  the  time  of  David, 
for  the  Jews  had  no  chariots  before  the  Syrian  war,  (Judges  i.  19 ; 
iv.  3,)  and  from  the  cavalry  of  Solomon  being  specially  named, 
they  seem  to  have  had  no  cavalry  either :  the  Syrian  army,  on  the 


132  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

other  hand,  had  many  chariots.  (2  Sam.  viii.  4;  x.  18.)  The 
king  being  spoken  of  in  the  third  person  is  no  objection  to  David's 
being  the  author,  (Psalm  xlviii.  51;)  on  occasions  of  this  kind  he 
doubtless  showed  himself  as  the  Psalmist  of  Israel,  and  composed 
the  hymns  which  were  sung  by  the  Levites.  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  1.) 

The  people  supplicate  in  holy  simplicity,  in  the  songs  of  the 
Levites  (v.  2 — 6,)  the  grace  of  God  and  his  assistance  for  their 
king  going  out  to  war,  and  confidingly  pray  for  the  accomplishment 
of  his  designs.  Strengthened  by  the  prayers  of  the  people,  the 
king  himself  expresses  his  confidence,  and  with  his  mind's  eye 
beholds  his  enemies  already  laid  low,  (v.  7 — 9.)  Then  follows 
another  supplication  of  the  people,  (v.  10.)  From  the  allusion  in 
verse  4,  v.  2 — 6  may  be  regarded  as  sung  during  sacrifice,  because 
sacrifices  used  to  be  offered  at  the  beginning  of  a  warfare,  and  the 
sacrifices  themselves  accompanied  by  music  and  song. 

1  rPO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

The  Levites  sing : 

2  The  LORD  hear  thee  in  the  day  of  trouble ; 
The  name  of  the  God  of  Jacob  defend  thee. 

3  Send  thee  help  from  the  sanctuary, 
And  strengthen  thee  out  of  Zion. 

4  Remember  all  thy  offerings, 

And  accept  thy  burnt  sacrifice.     Selah. 

5  Grant  thee  according  to  thine  own  heart, 
And  fulfil  all  thy  counsel. 

6  We  will  rejoice  in  thy  salvation, 

And  in  the  name  of  our  God  we  will  set  up  our  banners  :* 
The  LORD  fulfil  all  thy  petitions. 

David  sings : 

1  Now  know  I  that  the  LORD  saveth  his  anointed ; 
He  will  hear  him  from  his  holy  heaven, 
With  the  saving  strength  of  his  right  hand. 

8  Some  trust  in  chariots,  and  some  in  horses : 

But  we  will  remember  the  name  of  the  LORD  our  God. 

9  They  are  brought  down  and  fallen : 
But  we  are  risen,  and  stand  upright. 

The  Levites  sing : 
10  Save,  LORD,  the  king; 

He  (the  LORD)  will  hear  us  when  we  call. 

*  Or,  "  We  lift  up  the  name  of  our  God." 


PSALM   XX.  133 

F.  2,  3.  We  here  notice  that  the  king  and  his  people  go  to 
war  as  if  they  went  in  the  service  of  God,  and  on  that  account 
implore  his  aid.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xviii.  38 — 43.)  As  wars  are  sub- 
jected to  alternations  and  times  of  need,  the  aid  of  Heaven  is 
implored  for  seasons  when  earthly  resources  may  be  exhausted. 
As  the  people  whose  weakness  found  it  so  difficult  a  task  to  look 
up  to  the  invisible  God,  were  favoured  with  a  visible  sanctuary  on 
Zion,  they  pray  for  help  from  Zion.  They  call  upon  the  God  of 
Jacob,  that  is,  the  God  of  his  descendants,  to  whom  was  confirmed 
the  mercy  which  guided  their  ancestor.  The  name  (Ps.  lii.  11; 
liv.  3;  Isaiah  xxx.  27;  Prov.  xviii.  10,)  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
because  the  name  is  expressive  of  his  character,  as  if  the  Psalmist 
had  said,  "The  God  of  Jacob  help  us,  according  to  all  the  power 
and  glory  which  we  seek  to  express  in  the  name  which  we  give  to 
him." 

V.  4.  Just  as  Christians  rejoice  in  comfort  that  their  prayers 
will  be  heard  through  the  Redeemer,  who  has  made  them  accepta- 
ble to  God,  so  the  ancient  Israelites  regarded  sacrifice  as  the 
Divinely  instituted  means  for  rendering  their  prayers  well-pleasing 
to  God.  The  Psalmist  prays  therefore  that  his  prayers  may  be 
acceptable  to  God. 

F.  5,  6.  As  it  is  impossible  for  a  pious  man  to  expect  that  the 
promptings  of  covetousness  or  ambition  should  be  heard  by  a  holy 
God,  so  we  may  regard  the  present  petition  as  an  evidence  of  the 
good  conscience  of  David  in  this  warfare,  which  we  cannot  but 
think  was  undertaken  in  a  righteous  cause:  he  therefore  confi- 
dently solicits  the  protection  of  God,  since  without  such  a  good 
conscience  the  prayers  would  be  devoid  of  heartiness  and  trust.* 
The  Psalmist  moreover  is  so  sure  that  the  prayers  of  his  people 
will  be  answered,  that  he  lets  the  people  beforehand  rejoice  at  his 
safety,  and  proclaims  beforehand  the  fulfilment  of  his  petitions. 
The  true  relation  of  a  king  and  his  subjects  may  be  noticed  here. 
The  people  rejoice  at  the  safety  of  their  king,  as  if  it  were  their 
own :  for  the  life  of  a  people  should  be  in  their  king,  and  the  life 
and  safety  of  a  king  in  his  people. 

F.  7 — 9.  The  king  derives  much  hope  from  the  knowledge 
that  he  is  not  isolated,  but  represented  by  all  his  people.  If  a 
human  parent  will  listen  to  the  united  cry  of  his  children,  how 
much  more  will  God  hear,  when  in  a  just  cause  a  whole  people  and 
their  king  pray  to  him !  We  need  not  be  astonished  that  the  hea- 
then nations  with  whom  David  went  to  war  put  their  trust  in  cha- 
riots and  in  horses,  when  we  remember  that  even  among  Christians 
many  are  prone  to  forget  God,  in  proportion  to  their  possession  of 

*  If  this  psalm  was  sung  when  David  went  during  the  second  Syrian  war 
against  the  Syrians  and  the  Ammonites,  then  history  records  the  cause  of 
this  war  as  most  just.     (2  Samuel  x.) 
12 


134  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

earthly  resources.  The  heavenly  mind  of  David,  however,  makes 
itself  heard,  "  But  we  will  remember  the  name  of  the  Lord  our 
God/'  declaring  that  that  name  is  to  him  and  his  people  a  more 
potent  defence  than  any  weapon.  We  may  presume  that  a  general 
like  David  neglected  none  of  the  earthly  resources  which  the  Lord 
had  placed  within  his  reach.  How  admirable  his  demeanour,  that 
he  none  the  less  perseveres  to  have  his  eye  fixed  on  the  aid  of  the 
invisible  God !  He  knows  himself  so  strong  in  that  aid,  that  his 
prophetic  vision  beholds  his  enemies  as  already  fallen  and  crushed, 
and  his  people  standing  upright. 

F.  10.     Edified  by  these  words,  the  people  finally  repeat  with  a 
more  courageous  heart  their  call  for  help. 


PSALM  XXI. 

A  PSALM  of  thanksgiving,  probably  sung  after  the  victory  prayed 
for  in  Psalm  xx.  (CL  v.  3,  with  Ps.  xx.  5.)  The  following  cir- 
cumstance renders  it  probable  that  the  composition  of  this  psalm 
took  place  after  the  victory  over  the  allied  hosts  of  the  Syrians  and 
Ammonites.  The  king  of  the  Ammonites  wore,  according  to 
2  Sam.  xii.  30,  a  crown  a  talent  of  gold  in  weight  (about  fifty-six 
pounds,)  which  David  put  on  his  head  after  his  defeat.  That  pas- 
sage runs  as  if  David  had  been  without  a  royal  diadem  before. 
Should  this  be  so,  this  psalm  may  have  been  composed  after  the 
complete  victory  over  the  Syrians  and  the  Ammonites,  and  after 
the  complete  restoration  of  peace  at  some  triumphal  solemnity. 

The  king  is  spoken  of  in  the  third  person  from  v.  2 — 8 ;  but  we 
assume  that  David  expresses  his  gratitude  himself  in  language  at 
once  sublime  and  simple.  V.  9 — 14  address  the  king;  and  while 
the  former  portion  of  the  psalm  is  expressive  of  gratitude  for  the 
past,  the  latter  contains  two  predictions,  which,  after  their  great 
victories,  are  well  becoming  the  people. 

1  nPO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

The  King  sings : 

2  The  king  shall  joy  in  thy  strength,  0  LORD  ; 
And  in  thy  salvation  how  greatly  shall  he  rejoice ! 

3  Thou  hast  given  him  his  heart's  desire, 

And  hast  not  withholden  the  request  of  his  lips.     Selah. 


PSALM  xxr.  135 

4  For  thou  overwhelmest  him  with  the  blessings  of  good- 

ness: 
Thou  settest  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head. 

5  He  asked  life  of  thee,  and  thou  gavest  it  him, 
Uven  length  of  days,  for  ever  and  ever. 

6  His  glory  is  great  in  thy  salvation : 

Honour  and  majesty  (ornament)  hast  thou  laid  upon  him. 

7  For  thou  hast  made  him  most  blessed  for  ever : 

Thou  hast  made  him  exceeding  glad  with  thy  countenance. 

8  For  the  king  trusteth  in  the  LORD, 

And  through  the  mercy  of  the  Most  High  he  shall  not  be 
moved. 

The  Levites  sing : 

9  Thine  hand  shall  find  out  all  thine  enemies : 
Thy  right  hand  shall  find  out  those  that  hate  thee. 

10  Thou  shalt  make  them  as  a  fiery  oven  in  the  time  of  thy 

anger : 

The  LORD  shall  swallow  them  up  in  his  wrath, 
And  the  fire  shall  devour  them. 

11  Their  fruit  shalt  thou  destroy  from  the  earth, 
And  their  seed  from  among  the  children  of  men. 

12  For  they  intended  evil  against  thee : 
They  imagined  a  mischievous  device, 
Which  they  were  not  able  to  perform. 

13  Therefore  shalt  thou  make  them  turn  their  back : 
When  thou  shalt  make  ready  thine  arrows  upon   thy 

strings  against  the  face  of  them. 

14  Be  thou  exalted,  LORD,  in  thine  own  strength ! 
We  will  sing  and  praise  thy  power. 

V.  2,  3.  There  are  many  who,  when  reduced  to  want,  or 
embarking  in  some  great  enterprise  and  distrustful  of  their  own 
power,  call  to  God  for  aid,  but  after  having  been  successful,  forget 
him  whose  assistance  they  had  invoked;  and  though  they  do  not 
always  ascribe  the  honour  to  themselves,  rest  wholly  satisfied  with 
their  successes,  and  go  no  further.  David,  after  having  been 
crowned  with  victory,  looks  first  to  the  Lord,  and  gives  the  honour 
to  him.  Yea,  he  regards  every  new  victory  as  a  new  seal  set  to 
the  mercy  of  God  and  a  confirmation  of  his  divine  favour.  It  is 
this  which  hallows  his  joy. 

V.  4 — 8.  If  David  had  before  been  without  the  symbol  of  his 
royal  dignity,  viz.  the  diadem,  he  was  the  more  justified  in  prais- 
ing the  goodness  of  God,  which  had  now  transferred  it  from  the 


13d  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

head  of  an  enemy  to  his  own.  The  words  of  the  king  in  verse  5 
are  striking,  because  the  term  "for  ever  and  ever"  differs  from  "  for 
ever/'  which  generally  denotes  a  long  period.  It  is  not  improba- 
ble that  David  alluded  to  the  word  of  prophecy,  "  And  thine  house 
and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  established  for  ever  before  thee :  thy 
throne  shall  be  established  for  ever/'  (2  Sam.  vii.  16;)  and  refers 
to  the  life  he  was  to  live  in  his  descendants,  as  he  indeed  lives  and 
reigns  for  ever  in  that  descendant  of  his,  who  sways  the  sceptre 
over  the  spiritual  Israel.  The  Psalmist  further  declares  before  the 
people,  that  however  great  and  glorious  he  may  appear,  he  glories, 
not  in  his  own  deeds,  but  in  the  assistance  and  adornment  which 
the  Lord  had  conferred  upon  him :  and  acknowledges  his  Lord  and 
Master  as  the  only  source  of  blessing  and  joy.  This  he  still  more 
distinctly  affirms  in  verse  8,  and  commits  the  future  to  the  mercy 
of  God. 

V.  9 — 13.  The  king  had  committed  his  future  to  the  mercy  of 
the  Lord.  The  people  in  their  turn  do  now  express  bright  hopes 
and  great  predictions  for  his  future.  The  prosperity  of  a  kingdom 
no  less  requires  blessings  and  peace  at  home  than  defence  against 
enemies  from  without.  They  hopefully  foretell  to  David  that  his 
enemies  shall  not  escape  out  of  his  hand,  that  he  shall  make  them 
as  wood  in  a  fiery  oven,  that  not  only  his  own  martial  chivalry  shall 
sustain  him,  but  that  the  wrath  of  God  shall  come  to  his  aid,  and 
as  often  our  most  dangerous  enemies  spring  up  from  the  revenge 
of  the  descendants  of  our  adversaries,  to  render  the  victory  complete 
their  descendants  also  shall  not  escape  vengeance.  The  heathen 
disbelieving  the  divine  appointment  of  David  and  the  divine  call 
of  his  people,  had  arrogantly  framed  their  designs  without  remem- 
bering the  Lord :  therefore  their  devices  came  to  nought,  for  the 
Lord  fights  for  his  king  and  for  his  people. 

F.  14.  Once  more  they  attest  that  the  strength  and  glory 
of  David's  kingdom  is  the  Lord's — a  thought  which — since  He  is 
mighty — will  crush  his  adversaries,  but  elevate  his  faithful  followers 
to  gratitude  and  praise. 


PSALM  XXII. 

A  PLAINTIVE  song,  proceeding  as  it  were  from  the  lowest  abyss  of 
tribulation,  such  as  David  might  have  uttered  in  an  hour  of  intense 
peril,  an  instance  of  which  occurs  in  1  Sam.  xxiii.  26.  The  deep 
distress  which  characterizes  the  description  of  his  misery,  (v.  2 — 11,) 
is  penetrated  by  a  petition  in  verse  12,  but  again  absorbed  by  the 
affecting  complaint  of  extreme  peril  down  to  v.  19.  Then  his  cry 
for  help  gets  stronger  in  v.  20.  22;  and  the  song  rises  to  a  wonder- 


PSALM  xxir.  137 

ful  hope.  The  procrastination  of  his  deliverance  shall  become  a 
festival  of  joy  to  all  the  afflicted  in  Israel,  (v.  23 — 27.)  Infinite  in 
space,  and  infinite  in  time,  shall  the  message  of  that  deliverance 
reach  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  down  to  the  most  remote  futu- 
rity: rich  and  poor  shall  alike  be  satisfied  and  worship  Him. 
(v.  28—32.) 

This  psalm  is  wonderful  indeed :  such  a  fear  in  the  lowest  abyss, 
and  so  triumphant  a  prediction — a  prediction  of  successes  which 
David  could  never  have  said  of  himself  as  a  man.  As  in  other 
psalms,  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  xvi.)  so  here,  the  Spirit  of  God  had  raised  the 
Psalmist  to  so  lofty  a  consciousness,  in  virtue  of  which  he  affirmed 
what  in  quite  a  subordinate  sense  only  met  its  fulfilment  in  himself, 
though  in  the  fullest  sense  in  his  great  Descendant.  He  had  been 
in  situations  where  he  heard  the  rivers  of  death  sweep  past  him, 
and  had  presentiments  of  death,  and  might  therefore  as  a  man  hope 
that  his  deliverance  would  be  the  consolation  of  many  a  pious 
Israelite — but  his  expressions  go  far  beyond  what  can  apply  to  his 
circumstances.  A  higher  spirit  must  have  come  upon  him,  at 
whose  suggestions  he  expressed  descriptions  and  hopes  far  beyond 
his  human  sphere,  which  though  possibly  containing  a  certain  sub- 
ordinate truth  in  his  own  case,  met  their  full  realization  in  his  anti- 
type, the  Messiah.  Our  Lord  himself  no  doubt  regarded  this 
psalm  in  this  light,  when  at  his  approaching  death  he  uttered 
its  opening  words ;  and  the  assumption  of  many  commentators  has 
not  a  little  probability,  that  the  plaintive  cry  at  the  beginning,  and 
the  triumphant  exclamation  at  the  close  of  the  psalm,  were  simul- 
taneously before  the  soul  of  the  Redeemer. 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  concerning 
the  hind,  pursued  at  dawn. 

2  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? 

Why  art  thou  so  far  from  helping  me,  and  from  the 
words  of  my  roaring  ? 

3  0  my  God,  I  cry  in  the  daytime,  but  thou  nearest  not ; 
And  in  the  night  season,  and  am  not  silent. 

4  But  thou  art  the  Holy  One, 

That  art  enthroned  upon  the  praises  of  Israel. 

5  Our  fathers  trusted  in  thee : 

They  trusted,  and  thou  didst  deliver  them. 

6  They  cried  unto  thee,  and  were  delivered: 
They  trusted  in  thee,  and  were  not  confounded. 

7  But  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man : 

A  reproach  of  men,  and  despised  of  the  people. 

8  All  they  that  see  me  laugh  me  to  scorn : 

They  shoot  out  the  lip,  they  shake  the  head,  saying, 
12* 


138  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

9  "He  trusted  on  the  LORD,  let  him  save  him: 
Let  him  deliver  him  if  he  delight  in  him." 

10  But  thou  art  he  that  took  me  out. of  the  womb: 

Thou  didst  keep  me  in  safety  when  I  was  upon  my 
mother's  breasts. 

11  I  was  cast  upon  thee  from  my  birth: 
Thou  art  my  God  from  my  mother's  womb. 

12  Be  not  far  from  me ;  for  trouble  is  near ; 
For  there  is  no  helper. 

13  Many  bulls  have  compassed  me : 

Strong  bulls  of  Bashan  have  beset  me  round. 

14  They  gaped  upon  me  with  their  mouths, 
As  ravening  and  roaring  lions. 

15  I  am  poured  out  like  water, 
And  all  my  bones  are  sundered : 
My  heart  is  like  wax ; 

It  is  melted  in  the  midst  of  my  bowels. 

16  My  strength  is  dried  up  like  a  potsherd; 
And  my  tongue  cleaveth  to  my  jaws; 

And  thou  hast  brought  me  into  the  dust  of  death. 

17  For  dogs  have  compassed  me : 

The  assembly  of  the  wicked  have  inclosed  me : 
They  pierced  my  hands  and  my  feet.* 

18  I  may  tell  all  my  bones : 
They  look  and  stare  upon  me. 

19  They  part  my  garments  among  them, 
And  cast  lots  for  my  vesture. 

20  But  be  not  thou  far  from  me,  0  LORD  ; 
0  my  strength,  haste  thee  to  help  me. 

21  Deliver  my  soul  from  the  sword ; 

My  lonely  onef  from  the  power  of  the  dog. 

22  Save  me  from  the  lion's  mouth: 

For  thou  hast  heard  me  from  the  horns  of  the  buffaloes. 

23  I  will  declare  thy  name  unto  my  brethren: 

In  the  midst  of  the  congregation  will  I  praise  thee. 

*  Some  translate,  "As  a  lion  they  have  surrounded  my  hands  and  feet." 
But  is  it  correct  to  say  that  lions  surround  our  hands  and  feet?  They 
rather  rush  at  man.  Aben  Ezra  indeed  observes,  "We  resist  with  the 
hands,  and  flee  with  the  feet."  But  who  would  resist  a  lion  with  his 
hands  ?  The  expression  is  inapplicable,  even  if  we  understand  men  as  those 
who  surround  him.  Who  would  say  of  his  persecutors,  ''They  have  sur- 
rounded my  hands  and  my  feet"  ? 

f  Or,  "My  soul,"  "My  life." 


PSALM  XXII.  139 


24  Ye  that  fear  the  LORD,  praise  him ; 
All  ye  the  seed  of  Jacob,  glorify  him ; 
And  fear  him,  all  ye  the  seed  of  Israel, 

25  For  he  hath  not  despised  nor  abhorred  the  affliction  of 

the  afflicted; 

Neither  hath  he  hid  his  face  from  him ; 
But  when  he  cried  unto  him,  he  heard. 

26  My  praise  shall  be  of  thee  in  the  great  congregation : 
I  will  pay  my  vows  before  them  that  fear  him. 

27  The  afflicted  shall  eat  and  be  satisfied : 
They  shall  praise  the  LORD  that  seek  him: 
Your  heart  shall  live  for  ever. 

28  All  the  ends  of  the  world  shall  remember  and  turn  unto 

the  LORD  : 

And  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  worship  before 
thee. 

29  For  the  kingdom  is  the  LORD'S  : 

And  he  is  the  governor  among  the  nations. 

30  And  they  that  be  rich  upon  earth  shall  eat  and  worship : 
All  they  that  lie  in  the  dust  shall  bow  before  him : 
And  they  that  live  in  distress. 

31  A  seed  shall  serve  him ; 

They  shall  proclaim  the  Lord  from  generation  to  gene- 
ration. 

32  They  shall  come,  and  shall  declare  his  righteousness 
Unto  a  people  that  shall  be  born,  for  he  hath  done  well. 

V.  1.  The  expression,  "The  hind  of  the  dawn,"  which  in  the 
original  forms  the  title  of  this  psalm,  indicates  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  words,  "The  mute  dove  among  enemies/'  (Psalm  Ivi.)  the 
subject  of  his  burden.  He  compares  himself  to  a  hind  pursued  at 
early  dawn,  and  probably  points  to  the  time  of  day  at  which  the 
persecution  took  place. 

V.  2.  His  representing  himself  as  a  man  forsaken  of  God, 
seems  to  argue  so  low  a  stage  of  despair,  as  if  not  even  a  spark  of 
faith  had  remained  in  him ;  but  as  he  hastens  to  pour  out  his  grief 
before  God,  and  twice  exclaims,  "  My  God/'  we  see  that  in  spite 
of  despair  he  has  not  made  shipwreck  of  his  faith.  He  complains 
here  that  God  has  forsaken  him,  in  the  same  sense  in  which  he 
says  elsewhere,  "  Why  standest  thou  afar  off,  0  Lord  ?  why  hidest 
thou  thyself  in  times  of  trouble?"  (Psalm  x.  1.)  Because  God  is 
almighty  and  merciful,  we  are  prone  to  think  him  afar  off  when  we 
cannot  discern  the  traces  of  his  omnipotence  and  mercy.  Though 
unbelief  and  obstinacy  will  in  the  heat  of  temptation  ask  "  Why?" 


140  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

we  must  in  the  case  of  David  regard  it  as  expressive  of  his  aston- 
ishment that  he  should  have  reached  such  a  climax  of  wretched- 
ness :  this  remark  applies  also  to  Psalm  x.  1,  and  Isaiah  Ixiii.  17. 

V.  3.  This  verse  shows  even  more  clearly  than  the  last  words 
of  v.  2,  that  the  reference  is  not  to  transient,  but  continuous 
misery.  At  the  same  time  it  is  evident  that  David,  though  called 
upon  in  his  deep  and  continuous  anxieties  to  experience  the  great- 
est trials  which  can  possibly  befall  a  pious  man,  and  though  his 
prayers  met  a  shut  door  with  God,  was  none  of  those  faint-hearted 
people  who  give  over  at  the  first  unsuccessful  attempt,  and  go  in 
search  of  other  doors.  He  continued  to  stand  before  that  one 
door,  and  though  it  refused  to  open  for  weeks  and  months  together, 
he  was  sure  in  his  faith  that  he  was  before  the  right  door;  and  that 
there  was  none  other  which  could  supply  its  place. 

F.  4 — 6.  He  goes  on  to  state  that  which  had  kept  up  his 
courage,  viz.  the  myriads  of  praises  in  the  congregation  of  the 
righteous,  of  which  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  has  prepared  for  himself 
a  throne — the  long  list  of  the  fathers,  who  bore  the  uniform  testi- 
mony, that  "they  who  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  never  be  confounded.'9 
As  if  he  had  said,  "  I  must  not  forget  that  I  am  a  member  of  the 
great  body  of  the  congregation,  and  on  that  account  the  sharer  of 
the  same  mercy  as  all  others  before  me ;  and  the  God  to  whom  all 
the  fathers  cried  is  the  same  God  in  whose  hands  is  the  govern- 
ment of  the  world  to  this  day/'  Now,  though  contemplations  like 
these  became  on  the  one  hand  to  the  warrior  of  faith  a  rock  for 
edification,  they  proved  on  the  other  a  stone  of  stumbling  for  fall- 
ing.  "  Why  does  He  not  help  me,  as  he  has  helped  them?  Why  do 
my  prayers  fall  back  into  my  bosom,  hurled  back  like  impotent 
arrows  ?  Is  it  because  I  am  an  excommunicated  member,  no  longer 
counted  in  his  congregation  ?"  Such  are  the  temptations  of  faith 
by  which  the  adversary  intensifies  the  temptations  of  soul  and  body, 
when  the  pious  are  committed  to  the  furnace  of  trials. 

V.  7 — 9.  Attacking  him,  they  attacked  Him  in  whom  he  had 
placed  his  hope.  Those  who  can  sympathize  in  such  situations 
with  a  pious  man,  know  that  that  is  the  most  lacerating  kind  of 
contempt.  Because  such  an  one  loves  God  more  than  himself,  he 
would  rather  encounter  floods  of  derision  himself,  than  that  one 
drop  should  fall  on  the  name  of  his  God.  The  contempt  was  of  a 
two-fold  kind:  it  was  either  expressive  of  the  daring  unbelief  that 
there  is  no  ear  in  heaven  which  hears  praying  mortals,  or  it  con- 
veyed the  no  less  fearful  accusation  that  Damd  at  least  was  of  the 
race  of  hypocrites,  who  have  no  right  to  apply  the  promises  of  God 
to  themselves.  In  this  latter  sense  the  same  mockery  was  heard 
before  the  cross  of  Golgotha.  (Matt,  xxvii.  43.)  But  their  mockery 
is  turned  into  glory,  "He  trusted  in  God."  This  is  the  glory  of 
Christ  and  of  David;  the  inscription  of  their  lives,  written  by  the 
finger  of  God.  The  shaking  of  the  head  and  the  opened  mouth 

T 


PSALM  XXII.  141 

denote  mocking  delight.  (2  Kings  xix.  21;  Job  xvi.  4;  Matt, 
xxvii.  39.) 

V.  10,  11.  David  repeats  in  faith,  what  they  say  in  unbelief: 
their  mockery  he  counts  his  glory.  Yes,  the  Lord  takes  pleasure 
in  him.  God  was  his  Father,  when  he  could  not  take  care  of  him- 
self: he  experienced  him  as  his  God  all  the  days  of  his  life.  We 
see  the  infant  translated  from  the  mother's  womb  to  the  light  of 
day — the  mother's  breast  provides  it  with  nourishment,  while  yet 
unable  to  partake  of  any  other;  and  while  we  think  that  the  tender 
plants  might  perish  a  hundred  times,  the  guardian  angels  of  God 
watch  over  them.  All  these  things  produce  no  grateful  impressions 
on  us,  simply  because  we  daily  experience  them.  Dut  David  is 
impressed  by  them,  and  in  childlike  manner  states  first  those  proofs 
of  Divine  protection  which  he  shares  with  the  rest  of  mankind,  and 
then  mentions  (v.  11)  that  he  has  always  found  God  in  his  chequered 
life  as  his  God,  i.  e.  as  his  Father. 

V.  12.  Not  until  now  bursts  a  cry  for  help  from  his  oppression 
of  anxiety.  His  desperate  condition  itself  becomes  the  foundation 
into  which  he  casts  his  anchor. 

V.  13,  14.  His  enemies  in  their  blind  rage  are  more  like  beasts 
than  men — like  bulls  inflamed  to  fury — like  lions  opening  their 
mouths  when  they  roar  for  prey. 

V.  15, 16.  Having  spoken  of  outward  difficulties,  he  now  depicts 
the  effects  of  anxiety  upon  his  soul.  The  less  we  anticipate  to  meet 
so  uncommon  an  emotion,  through  sufferings,  in  a  heroic  mind  like 
David's,  the  more  correct  is  our  conclusion  as  to  their  uncommon- 
ness  and  enormity.  But  from  their  nature  they  cannot  with  all 
their  greatness  have  been  more  than  the  shadow  of  the  sufferings  of 
the  Son  of  God  on  the  cross.  In  proportion  to  the  superiority  of 
Him,  whom  David  in  his  spirit  called  his  Lord,  (Matt.  xxii.  45,) 
over  David,  are  the  sufferings  of  Christ  greater  than  those  of  David. 
As  poured-out  water  will  dissolve  on  the  ground,  so  David  says 
that  his  strength  is  dissolved — that  his  bones,  the  supports  of  the 
human  frame,  are  sundered — and  that  trouble  has  melted  his  heart. 
The  sap  of  his  life  is  dried  up  like  a  burnt-out  potsherd :  his  tongue 
is  languid  from  the  anxiety  of  his  soul :  yea,  he  lies  in  the  dust 
among  the  dead. 

V.  17 — 19.  He  had  before  compared  his  persecutors  to  furious 
bulls  and  blood-thirsty  lions ;  he  now  describes  them  as  greedy  dogs, 
run  astray,  which  in  the  East  like  wild  beasts  attack  man.  They 
have  pierced  his  hand  and  feet  and  as  it  were  pinned  him.  This 
expression,  which  to  David  could  only  be  a  figure,  and  that  a 
striking  one,*  carries  him  far  beyond  his  own  circumstances.  The 
spirit  of  prophecy  prompts  him  to  point  to  the  event  which  was  to 
be  fulfilled  on  Golgotha.  The  flesh  and  bodily  strength  are  so 

*  The  Psalmist  may  have  retained  the  figure  of  "  greedy  dogs  tearing 
his  hands  and  feet;"  then  the  connexion  explains  the  expression. 


142  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

entirely  gone  that  he  can  count  his  bones :  a  condition  so  wretched 
would,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  elicit  pity  even  from  the 
heart  of  enemies — but  blind  revenge  has  made  his  enemies  so 
savage  that  its  contemplation  yields  them  delight.  They  behold 
the  lifeless  corpse  lie  at  their  feet,  and  cast  lots  for  his  vesture. 
We  expect  to  hear  the  troubled  Psalmist  sing  of  shameless  robbery 
rather  than  of  their  raffling  for  his  vesture,  and  recognise  therefore 
in  this  expression  another  typical  reference  to  the  future.  (John 
xix.  24.) 

V.  20 — 22.  He  is  unable  to  find  any  strength  in  himself  nor 
help  on  earth :  for  days  and  nights  he  has  cried  in  vain :  the  confi- 
dence he  displayed  hitherto,  while  troubles  were  increasing  and 
not  decreasing,  had  given  new  stings  to  their  mockery,  a  new  edge 
to  their  scorn;  yet  he  continues  to  pray.  He  calls  the  Lord  his 
strength,  to  show  that  his  hopes  are  not  on  earth  but  in  heaven. 
The  mouth  of  the  lion,  the  horns  of  the  wild  buffalo,  and  the  sword, 
must  be  taken  as  figures  of  present  danger  of  death. 

V.  23 — 25.  It  is  incontrovertibly  clear  from  this  passage,  that 
temptation  never  so  completely  broke  David  that  it  deprived  him 
of  the  consciousness  of  strength  to  resist.  Lo !  grief  and  complaint 
vanish  suddenly.  He  resolves  to  sing  songs  of  praises — not  only 
in  his  intercourse  with  friends,  but  in  the  public  assemblies,  to 
exhort  his  brethren,  yea,  all  his  brethren  in  faith,  to  imitate  his 
example,  and  to  blend  their  praises  with  his.  For  since  all  the 
children  of  God  form  one  spiritual  body,  is  therefore  the  victory  of 
one  not  the  glory  of  the  rest?  So  Paul  desires  the  Corinthians 
that  "  they  also  helping  together  by  prayer  for  him,  that  for  the 
gift  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  means  of  many  persons,  thanks  may 
be  given  by  many  on  his  behalf."  (2  Cor.  i.  11.)  A  double  truth 
is  apparent  in  this  deliverance :  men  befriend  the  high,  God  most 
loves  to  befriend  the  humble  (low;)  and  prayer  is  the  instrument 
which  will  force  the  bars  of  the  gate  of  heaven. 

V.  26,  27.  David  uses  a  peculiar  figure  to  denote  the  blessings 
which  the  marvellous  dealings  of  God  with  him  were  to  confer  upon 
the  congregation.  It  was  customary  in  times  of  great  danger  to 
make  vows  of  thank-offerings,  which  were  prepared  into  meals, 
where  the  poor  in  particular  were  permitted  to  join.  So  David 
represents  the  payment  of  his  gratitude  as  a  feast,  where  all  the 
aifiicted  shall  be  filled,  for  which  the  pious  shall  praise  the  Lord 
and  rejoice  for  evermore.  It  is  evident  from  the  nature  of  the 
case  that  no  real  feast  is  meant;  but  this  gets  yet  more  apparent  from 
V.  30,  which  says  that  the  rich  and  the  poor  on  earth  shall  alike 
get  filled  at  that  feast.  The  feast  and  the  thank-offering  are  rather 
figurative  expressions  of  the  grateful  proclamation  of  the  merciful 
works  of  God  which  is  to  take  place  in  the  congregation.  In  many 
other  places  occurs  the  performance  of  vows  as  denoting  prayers  of 
gratitude.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  1.  14.  23.)  When  it  is  said  that  the 


PSALM   XXIII.  143 


needy  shall  be  filled  by  the  message  of  the  mercies  of  God  as  at  a 
great  feast,  we  recognise  in  the  expression  the  description  of  the 
abundant  fulness  of  nourishment  which  from  that  message  shall 
accrue  to  the  inner  man;  while  the  typical  nature  of  the  words  of 
David  stamps  the  expression  with  its  proper  significance.  So  Isaiah 
foretold,  in  reference  to  the  days  of  redemption,  "And  in  this 
mountain  shall  the  Lord  of  hosts  make  unto  all  people  a  feast  of 
wines  on  the  lees,  of  fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of  wines  on  the  lees 
well  refined."  (Isaiah  xxv.  6.) 

F.  28 — 32.  The  boundaries  of  Israel  are  too  narrow  for  his 
hope :  the  message  shall  be  heard  to  the  ends  of  the  world,  and 
from  the  ends  of  the  world  shall  men  be  invited  to  the  feast;  the 
worship  of  the  true  God  shall  be  the  fruit.  Who  will  gainsay,  he 
continues  in  v.  29,  that,  though  the  heathen  seem  to  have  no  master 
(even  now  the  sceptre  of  the  Lord  is  invisibly  swayed  over  them : 
"He  ruleth  in  the  midst  of  his  enemies.")  He  will  in  his  own 
good  time  cause  them  to  come,  that  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one 
Shepherd?  The  poor  were  almost  exclusively  gathered  at  the 
feasts  of  thank-offerings;  but  the  rich  as  well  shall  come  to  this 
feast;  for  who  among  us  is  not  poor  in  the  possession  of  the  goods 
which  it  yields?  As  this  message  is  unlimited  in  space,  so  it  shall 
be  in  time,  and  go  from  generation  to  generation,  The  Psalmist 
finally  praises  the  righteousness  of  God,  but  be  it  remembered  that 
his  righteousness  includes  love.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  v.  9.)  The  upshot 
of  all  is,  that  the  wonderful  glory  after  extreme  sufferings  shall 
become  the  exhibition  for  the  display  of  every  Divine  attribute — an 
exhibition  of  mercy,  which  shall  inform  the  Church,  down  to  the 
most  distant  future  of  the  fulness  of  the  love  of  God,  and  of  the 
riches  of  his  grace. 


PSALM  XXIII. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  which  exhibits  the  purest  effusion  of  a  soul 
reconciled  to  God,  and  expresses  the  one  thought  of  happiness  in 
and  with  God.  The  blessed  hour  in  which  the  bard  composed  this 
psalm  knew  neither  the  law  with  its  terrors  nor  sin  with  its  tempta- 
tions. Christians  use  this  beautiful  psalm  as  the  expression  of  the 
most  peculiar  emotions  which  their  consciousness  of  salvation  in 
Christ  has  excited  in  them.  This  song  yields  not  only  the  pre- 
sentiments of  the  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  grace,  but  since  the 
Church  militant  does  at  no  time  experience  those  blessings  in  so 
undimmed  a  light,  may  we  not  say  that  it  yields  the  presentiment 
of  eternal  happiness,  which,  in  Rev.  vii.  17,  is  described  in  these 


144  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

words:  "The  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed 
them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters:  and 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes"  ? 

PSALM  of  David. 

2  The  LORD  is  my  shepherd; 
I  shall  not  want  anything. 

3  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures : 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 

4  He  refresheth  my  soul: 

He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his 
name's  sake. 

5  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 

of  death, 

I  will  fear  no  evil ;  for  thou  art  with  me : 
Thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

6  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of 

mine  enemies: 

Thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil; 
My  cup  runneth  over. 

7  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days 

of  my  life : 
And  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  LORD  for  ever. 

V.  2.  The  spell  of  childlike  simplicity  shed  over  this  psalm 
seems  to  refer  it,  like  Psalm  viii.,  to  the  period  when  David  was 
feeding  his  father's  sheep.  The  transient  allusion  to  enemies  in 
verse  6,  presents  the  only  objection  to  this  view.  But  those  words 
need  not  be  regarded  as  descriptive  of  present  enemies.  The  first 
portion  of  his  stay  at  the  court  of  Saul  seems  the  most  likely, 
because  then  the  recollections  of  his  shepherd-life  were  still  fresh. 
We  find  that  man's  proneness  to  forget  God  is  proportioned  to  the 
magnitude  of  the  blessings  he  confers  on  him.  How  delightful  to 
see  David  lift  his  soul  to  God,  not  only  in  the  hour  of  affliction,  but 
also  in  the  enjoyment  of  perfect  peace.  Can  we  conceive  of  any- 
thing more  impotent  and  helpless  than  a  flock  of  sheep?  Again, 
who  pursues  his  path  in  more  perfect  security  and  peace,  than  the 
flock  which  feeds  under  the  staff  of  a  faithful  shepherd?  Thus 
helpless  and  unconcerned  the  children  of  God  pass  through  life. 
They  say  to  themselves,  He  will  think  for  me :  he  will  care  for  me : 
he  will  fight  for  me.  The  aged  Israel  calls  the  God  of  Abraham 
and  Isaac  his  "  Shepherd."  (Gen.  xlviii.  15,  in  the  original.) 
Isaiah  prophesies  of  the  period  of  redemption,  "He  shall  feed  his 
flock  like  a  shepherd :  he  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm;  and 


PSALM  XXIII.  145 

carry  them  in  his  bosom,  and  shall  gently  lead  those  that  are  with 
young."  (Isaiah  xl.  11.)  The  Psalmist  sings,  "Give  ear,  0  Shep- 
herd of  Israel,  thou  that  leadest  Joseph  like  a  flock. "  (Ps.  Ixxx.  2.) 
The  Prophets  declare  that  "God  will  visit  his  people,  and  feed 
them  as  their  shepherd,  by  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  David."  (Ezek. 
xxxiv.  23;  Jer.  xxxi.  10.)  And  when  He  came,  he  said  of  him- 
self: "/  am  the  good  Shepherd,  and  know  my  sheep,  and  am 
known  of  mine.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and 
they  follow  me :  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall 
never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand" 
(John  x.  14.  27,  28.)  "I  shall  not  want  anything,"  sings  the 
bard,  expressing  thereby  that  God  is  his  all-sufficient  good :  pos- 
sessing him,  he  has  everything.  His  words  show  that  while  he 
says  this,  his  soul  is  like  a  clear  sheet  of  water  or  a  cloudless  sky. 
Our  anxiety,  care,  and  restlessness  arise,  because  God  does  not 
suffice  us. 

F  2,  3.  He  describes  the  blessings  of  the  shepherd's  crook, 
first  in  figurative  then  in  plain  language — Lovely  provision  is  made 
to  satisfy  the  hungry  and  thirsty  of  the  flock.  The  lamb  is  fur- 
nished with  a  green  pasture,  i.  e.  fresh  and  nourishing  food,  and 
may  repose  beside  the  still  (Isaiah  viii.  6)  waters,  where  its  thirst 
gets  quenched  and  refreshing  breezes  blow.  He  now  expresses  his 
meaning  in  plain  language — Refreshment  of  his  soul  by  Divine 
instruction,  and  the  treading  of  paths  in  which  going  astray  or 
falling  are  impossible.  This  David  knows,  that  such  grace  is  not 
enjoyed  by  him  because  of  any  personal  merit,  but  the  Lord  does  it 
all  for  his  name's  sake.  (Ps.  xxxi.  4;  xxv.  11,  etcJ)  That  name 
he  himself  declared  to  be  "merciful  and  gracious,  longsuffering, 
and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth."  (Exod.  xxxiv.  6.)  He  will 
never  prove  faithless  to  that  name:  and  as  the  name  of  God  indi- 
cates his  Being,  if  he  is  said  to  do  anything  for  his  name's  sake, 
the  meaning  is  that  his  merciful  intentions  flow  from  the  ocean  of 
mercy  of  his  Being. 

F  4,  5.  The  path  of  the  flock  is  alternately  along  sunny  moun- 
tain sides  and  through  dark  and  narrow  rock-bound  valleys;  but 
the  lambs  fear  no  mishap,  knowing  that  a  mighty  shepherd's  staff 
presides  over  $ieir  helplessness.  So  David  yields  not  to  the  dreamy 
illusion,  that  the  godly  are  free  from  affliction  on  earth,  but  is  well 
aware  that  their  bread  is  often  steeped  in  tears.  It  is  a  beautiful 
trait  of  David's  piety,  that  his  happiness  is  not  confined  to  bright 
sunshine,  but  that  he  is  not  afraid  in  the  dark  vale,  and  for  ever 
finds  a  source  of  joy  in  the  Shepherd's  staff  which  presides  over 
him.  He  drops  the  figure  in  verse  5,  and  denotes  his  enemies  as 
the  evil  in  the  dark  valley.  A  well-spread  table  is  within  their 
sight,  at  which  he  is  seated  with  anointed  head  (Luke  vii.  46)  and 
an  overflowing  cup.  He  shows  that  a  mind  reposing  in  God,  while 
sure  of  his  mercy,  may  feast  on  the  peace  of  God,  undisturbed  by 
13 


146  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

external  calamity.  Such  a  sentiment  would  be  natural  in  a  Chris- 
tian, who  as  a  child  of  the  New  Covenant  may  cheerfully  exclaim, 
"Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God 
that  justifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth?  It  is  Christ  that 
died,  yea,  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who  is  ever  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for  us?"  (Rom.  viii.  33,  34  j) 
but  confidence  like  that  expressed  in  the  Psalm  before  us  is  truly 
marvellous  in  an  Old  Testament  saint. 

F.  6.  The  assurance  of  reconciliation  is  accompanied  by  the 
assurance  that  no  events  in  time  can  shorten,  and  no  limits  of  time 
circumscribe,  the  love  and  mercy  of  God.  So  the  mighty  faith  of 
David  grasps  the  promises  of  God,  steadfastly  and  calmly  contem- 
plating the  alternations  of  uncertain  life,  and  firmly  convinced  of 
the  immoveability  of  the  Divine  counsel.  The  Lord  will  never 
forsake  his  people.  The  concluding  words  are  very  striking,  "  / 
shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever."*  It  is  evident  that 
David  refers  not  to  a  continuous  residence  in  the  tent  of  the  ark  or 
the  tabernacle :  he  rather  considers  the  house  of  God  as  the  sym- 
bol of  communion  with  God  and  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 
(Ps.  lii.  10;  cf.  ad.  Ps.  xv.  1.)  These  words  therefore  furnish  an 
evidence  that  the  blessings  previously  mentioned  designate  not 
only  the  external  blessings  of  man,  but  rather  the  enjoyments 
which  the  Lord  provides  in  the  sanctuary  for  his  people,  the  riches 
of  which  David  describes  elsewhere  in  overwhelming  fulness, 
"How  precious  is  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God!  that  the  children 
of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings.  They  get 
drunk  with  the  riches  of  thine  house,  thou  makest  them  drink  of 
the  river  of  thy  pleasures.  For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  light: 
in  thy  light  do  we  see  light."  (Ps.  xxxvi.  8 — 10.) 


PSALM  XXIV. 

A  SONG  of  praise,  sung  on  the  same  occasion  as  Psalm  xv.  when 
the  procession  of  the  Levites  had  come  near  to  the  ancient  castle 
of  Zion.  (Cf.  Introduction  to  Psalm  xv.)  The  praise  of  having 
won  many  victories,  which  are  ascribed  to  the  ark,  clearly  intimates 
the  days  of  David,  for  after  it  attained  to  its  rest  on  Moriah,  (Ps. 
cxxxii.  14;  cf.  ad.  Ps.  xlvii.)  it  was  no  more  taken  into  the  camp. 
The  bard,  anxious  to  express  the  solemnity  of  the  moment, 
declares  that  the  sanctuary  of  Him  is  entering  who  has  founded 
the  world  and  all  that  dwell  therein.  This  gives  rise  to  the  ques- 

*  "One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  that  will  I  seek  after:  that  I 
may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life."  (Ps.  xxvii.  4.) 


4  / 

Y 

\  / 

PSALM   XXIV.  147 

tion,  Who  is  worthy  to  step  into  the  vicinity  of  such  a  sanctuary? 
(v.  1 — 3.)  The  generation  of  the  true  worshippers  of  God  are 
known  by  the  purity  of  their  hearts  and  hands  (cf.  Ps.  xv.)  and 
not  by  their  sacrifices.  The  hoary,  grey  castle  gates,  through  which 
many  a  wordly  king  of  the  Jebusites  had  entered,  are  too  low  to 
receive  the  King  of  Heaven;  they  are  therefore  called  upon  to 
raise  their  heads.  As  yet  they  knew  him  not  in  his  dignity.  A 
mighty  echo  returns  the  question,  "Who  is  the  King  of  Glory?" 
It  is  the  Lord  strong  and  mighty.  How  many  victories  have  been 
won  by  his  ark  ?  The  gates  must  not  deny  admission  to  Him.  But 
the  question  re-echoes  once  more,  as  if  to  furnish  the  occasion  for 
a  louder  and  more  confident  declaration  of  glory,  (v.  7 — 10.) 

PRAYER  of  David. 

First  Choir. 

THE  earth  is  the  LORD'S  and  the  fulness  thereof; 
The  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein. 

2  For  he  hath  founded  it  above  the  seas, 
And  established  it  above  the  floods. 

3  Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord  ? 
Or  who  shall  stand  in  his  holy  place? 

Second  Choir. 

4  He  that  hath  clean  hands,  and  a  pure  heart ; 

Who  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  unto  vanity,  nor  sworn 
deceitfully. 

5  He  shall  receive  the  blessing  from  the  LORD, 
And  righteousness  from  the  God  of  his  salvation. 

6  This  is  the  generation  of  them  that  seek  him, 
That  seek  his  face,  0  Jacob.     Selah. 

First  Choir. 

7  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates ; 

And  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ; 
And  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

Second  Choir. 

8  Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ? 

First  Choir. 

9  The  LORD  strong  and  mighty, 
The  LORD  mighty  in  battle,     s 
Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates; 

Even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ; 
'  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 


148  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Second  Choir. 
10  Who  is  this  King  of  glory? 

First  Choir. 
The  LORD  of  hosts,  he  i*  the  King  of  glory.     Selah. 

F.  1,  2.  The  name  of  God  would  not  so  easily  glide  over  our 
lips,  nor  would  our  minds  evince  so  great  an  aptitude  to  wander 
in  our  prayers,  if  we  were  able  to  concentrate  at  the  time  being 
the  sum  total  which  that  name  includes.  To  impress  the  people 
with  the  dignity  attaching  to  the  services  before  the  sanctuary  of 
Israel,  David  deems  it  necessary  to  begin  with  an  intimation  of  the 
infinite  majesty  of  Him  before  whom  they  were  henceforth  to  appear 
on  the  holy  mount.  Though  he  declares  the  small  band  of  Israel 
as  his  peculiar  possession — though  to  Jacob  only  he  showeth  his 
word,  and  to  Israel  his  statutes  and  judgments,  (Ps.  cxlvii.  19,) 
nevertheless  the  earth,  its  fulness,  and  its  inhabitants,  are  his  too. 
The  more  numerous  his  subjects,  the  greater  should  be  the  grati- 
tude of  Israel  for  his  election  of  grace.  It  is  said  in  v.  2,  that  he 
hath  founded  the  earth  above  the  sea  and  above  the  floods;  this  is 
explained  by  the  fact  that  the  land  rises  above  the  waters,  and  the 
Psalmist  intends  to  show  his  marvel  at  the  waters  surrounding  and 
not  swallowing  up  the  earth.* 

F.  3 — 6.  This  description  of  the  true  worshippers  of  God  cor- 
responds to  that  of  Psalm  xv.  It  is  not  the  scrupulous  payment  of 
external  offerings,  nor  regular  attendance  in  the  sanctuary,  nor  the 
punctilious  observance  of  sacred  rites.  But  the  participation  in 
the  act  of  adoration  in  the  holy  place,  and  the  privilege  of  being 
permitted  to  bring  offerings  to  God,  and  made  to  depend  on  the 
purity  of  heart  and  hands  of  the  worshippers,  which  is  still  further 
defined  by  a  refraining  from  every  species  of  vaniiy  and  deceitful 
speech.  We  Christians  ought  to  regard  our  services,  not  so  much 
as  duties,  but  as  sacred  privileges.  He  says,  "This  is  the  genera- 
tion of  them  that  seek  him,  that  seek  his  face,"  intimating  that 
those  who  pretend  to  care  for  God  and  to  seek  him,  but  strive  not 
for  purity  of  heart  and  hands,  must  be  regarded  as  hypocrites.  In 
calling  that  generation  par  excellence  Jacob,  David  makes  a  dis- 
tinction similar  to  that  made  by  Paul  in  Rom.  ix.  6,  between  a 
Jacob  after  the  flesh  and  a  Jacob  after  the  Spirit.f  Paul  indeed 

*  Ps.  xxxiii.  7 ;  Job  xxvi.  10.  Other  commentators  hold  that  the 
Psalmist  considers  the  earth  as  swimming  in  the  waters,  and  alludes  to 
Gen.  vii.  11,  forgetting  that  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  mentioned 
there  are  in  the  womb  of  the  earth;  on  the  other  hand  it  is  said,  Job 
xxvi.  7,  that  the  earth  hangeth  upon  nothing. 

f  Cf.  Israel  Ps.  Ixxiii.  1 ;  xxv.  22 ;  Isa.  xlix.  3,  etc.  Israel  is  the  more 
solemn  name  for  Jacob.  The  whole  people  is  called  Jacob,  Ps.  xlvii.  5. 


PSALM  XXV.  149 

informs  us  that  the  promises  of  God  became  verified  to  this 
Spiritual  Israel  with  the  advent  of  Messiah,  though  the  large  mass 
of  the  people  rejected  him. 

V.  7 — 10.  The  procession  is  now  approaching  the  castle  gates 
of  the  seat  of  Jebusite  royalty,  which  David  had  conquered.  Its 
doors  are  called  everlasting,*  i.  e.  ancient  doors.  History  describes 
the  Jebusites  as  a  peculiarly  powerful  and  firmly  established  nation 
of  Palestine :  that  castle  therefore  was  probably  for  a  long  time  the 
seat  of  Jebusite  royalty.  (Josh.  x.  1.  23.)  The  doors  in  the  east 
moreover  are  much  lower  than  ours.'j'  And  is  so  uncommon  a 
king  to  hold  his  entrance  without  the  gates  lifting  up  their  heads, 
i.  e.  the  raising  of  their  capitals?  As  if  hurt  at  so  uncommon  a 
demand,  the  gates  are  made  to  inquire  who  that  unknown  king  of 
glory  might  be — who  had  never  before  entered  through  them. 
Thrice  they  receive  with  increased  confidence  the  response,  that  He 
is  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  he  who  won  the  victories  which  are  still  in 
the  memory  of  all. 


PSALM  XXV. 

A  SONG  of  complaint,  either  composed  during  the  latter  portion  of 
David's  residence  at  the  court  of  Saul,  or  during  the  years  of  his 
exile. 

Starting  with  the  presence  of  his  enemies  the  Psalmist  seeks 
comfort  from  the  consciousness  that  he  supplicates  the  assistance 
of  God  as  an  intimate  friend  and  not  as  a  stranger,  (v.  1 — 3.) 
But  he  is  aware  of  his  need  to  pray  for  further  guidance  from 
above  for  his  advancement  in  righteousness,  and  to  ask  for  the  for- 
giveness of  many  transgressions,  (v.  4 — 11.)  He  knows  and  con- 
fesses that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  leads  to  an  ever-increasing  illumi- 
nation, and  to  the  enjoyment  of  every  good,  (v.  12 — 14.)  He 
builds  his  hope  on  these  convictions,  and  prays  earnestly  for  Divine 
aid  against  his  enemies,  (v.  15 — 21.) 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

Unto  thee,  0  LORD,  do  I  lift  up  my  soul. 

2  0  my  God,  I  trust  in  thee : 
Let  me  not  be  ashamed. 

Let  not  mine  enemies  triumph  over  me. 

*  This  word  refers  not  to  the /tore,  as  1  Kings  viii.  13,  but  to  the  past, 
as  Isa.  Iviii.  12;  Hab.  iii.  6;  Ez.  xxxvi.  2. 

f  Faber.     Observations  on  the  East,  vol.  i.  p.  94,  etc. 
13* 


150  COMMENTARY   ON    THE   PSALMS. 

3  Yea,  let  none  that  wait  on  thee  be  ashamed : 
Let  them  be  ashamed  that  wickedly  despise  thee. 

4  Show  me  thy  ways,  0  LORD  ; 
Teach  me  thy  paths. 

5  Lead  me  in  thy  truth,  and  teach  me : 
For  thou  art  the  God  of  my  salvation ; 
On  thee  do  I  wait  daily. 

6  Remember,  0  LORI>,  thy  tender  mercies  and  thy  loving- 

kindnesses. 
For  they  are  from  everlasting. 

7  Remember  not  the  sins  of  my  youth,  nor  my  transgressions : 
According  to  thy  mercy  remember  thou  me 

For  thy  goodness'  sake,  0  LORD. 

8  Good  and  upright  is  the  LORD  : 
Therefore  will  he  teach  sinners  in  the  way. 

9  The  meek  will  he  guide  in  judgment : 
And  the  meek  will  he  teach  his  way. 

10  All  the  paths  of  the  LORD  are  mercy  and  truth 
Unto  such  as  keep  his  covenant  and  his  testimonies. 

11  For  thy  name's  sake,  0  LORD,  pardon  mine  iniquity ; 
For  it  is  great. 

12  What  man  is  he  that  feareth  the  LORD  ? 
Him  shall  he  teach  in  the  best  way. 

13  His  soul  shall  lodge  in  goodness ; 
And  his  seed  shall  possess  the  land. 

14  The  secret  of  the  LORD  is  with  them  that  fear  him ; 
And  he  will  show  them  his  covenant.* 

15  Mine  eyes  are  ever  towards  the  LORD  : 
For  he  shall  pluck  my  feet  out  of  the  net. 

16  Turn  thee  unto  me,  and  have  mercy  upon  me; 
For  I  am  desolate  and  afflicted. 

17  The  troubles  of  my  heart  are  enlarged : 
0  bring  thou  me  out  of  my  distresses. 

18  Look  upon  mine  affliction  and  my  pain ; 
And  forgive  all  my  sins. 

19  Consider  mine  enemies  how  many  they  be. 
And  they  hate  me  with  cruel  hatred. 

20  0  keep  my  soul  and  deliver  me: 

Let  me  not  be  ashamed ;  for  I  put  my  trust  in  thee. 


*  Or,  "The  Lord  holds  intimate  converse  with  them  that  fear  him;   he 
makes  a  covenant  with  them  to  instruct  them." 


PSALM   XXV.  151 

21  Let  integrity  and  uprightness  preserve  me ; 
For  I  wait  on  thee. 

22  Redeem  Israel,  0  God,  out  of  all  his  troubles,* 

V.  1—3.  "Unto  thee,  0  Lord,  do  I  lift  up  my  soul/'  is  his 
cry,  forgetting  earthly  treasures,  men,  and  everything  beside  God, 
as  it  ought  to  be  when  we  mean  to  pray  aright.  His  enemies 
mock  and  oppress  him;  but  knowing  that  in  their  worst  appear- 
ance they  are  merely  chastising  rods  in  the  hands  of  God,  he 
prays  for  deliverance  by  the  hand  of  God.  How  appeasing  the 
thought  that  when  men  show  enmity  towards  us  they  are  simply 
the  chastising  rods  in  the  hands  of  God,  which  must  cease  to  strike 
as  soon  as  his  end  is  accomplished.  David  finds  it  difficult  to  bear 
the  mocking  triumph  of  his  enemies,  because,  as  has  been  already 
more  than  once  observed,  he  cannot  put  up  with  the  denial  of  the 
truthfulness  of  the  promises  of  God.  He  calls  his  enemies,  in 
verse  3,  "  wicked  despisers  of  God/'  i.  e.  such  as  do  not  keep  his 
laws.  He  hopes,  because  it  is  the  eternal  law  of  God,  that  none 
who  wait  on  him  shall  ever  be  ashamed.  We  must  assume  that  he 
refers  to  ultimate  confusion,  for  we  could  not  well  deny  that  the 
pious  have  occasionally  to  succumb. 

V.  4 — 7.  He  numbers  himself  with  those  who  wait  upon  the 
Lord  and  trust  in  him.  But  he  is  afraid  to  say  too  much :  he 
shrinks  from  describing  himself  as  too  righteous,  and  prays  there- 
fore that  God,  the  only  source  of  his  salvation,  might  graciously 
direct  him  by  his  Spirit  and  lead  him  into  his  paths.  He  disavows 
all  claim  and  merit,  and  appeals  to  the  mercies  and  goodness  of 
God,  as  the  only  sources  of  man's  salvation.  By  adding  "  which 
are  from  everlasting"  he  means  to  say  that  were  God  at  any  time 
to  cease  revealing  himself  to  man  by  those  glorious  attributes,  it 
would  be  tantamount  to  his  "proving  untrue  to  himself."  He 
certainly  remembers  sin  as  the  wall  of  partition  which  may  step 
between  man  and  the  mercy  of  God :  especially  the  transgressions 
of  his  youth,  the  period  of  our  lives  when  the  solemnity  of  the 
Divine  law  is  not  sufficiently  realized  by  man.  But  shall  the 
source  from  which  he  derives  every  other  good,  refuse  to  yield  the 
forgiveness  of  his  sins  ? 

V.  8 — 10.  As  coals  ^feed  the  fire,  so  the  remembrance  of  the 
truths  of  our  faith  should  keep  alive  the  flame  of  our  prayers.  He 
derives  comfort  from  his  conviction  that  God,  being  good  and 
upright,  cannot  but  lead  into  the  paths  of  holiness  those  who  really 
desire  to  be  instructed  in  them.  The  proud  despise  such  instruc- 
tion; David  knows  himself  humbled;  the  humble  and  meek  are, 
however,  the  very  parties  whom  God  will  guide  and  teach.  These 
truths  therefore  increase  his  comfort,  which  is  still  more  enhanced 

*  Cf.  Introduction  to  Psalm  xiv. 


152  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

by  his  conviction  that  the  paths  of  the  Lofd  are  fraught  with  the 
riches  of  mercy  and  truth,  to  all  who  are  earnestly  bent  upon  obey- 
ing his  law.  He  beautifully  expresses  the  great  truth,  set  forth 
by  our  Lord,  John  vii.  17,  that  they  are  neither  able  nor  entitled  to 
form  a  judgment  of  the  ways  and  commandments  of  God,  who  only 
apprehend  them  with  their  understanding :  they  must  be  obeyed, 
if  their  power  is  to  be  felt, 

F.  11 — 14.  Prayer  for  forgiveness  interrupts  his  meditation, 
and  very  properly  so :  for  no  sooner  do  we  realize  the  blessings  of  a 
holy  and  pure  life,  than  we  get  conscious  of  our  many  failings.  He 
is  unable  to  present  a  more  powerful  shield  to  his  threatening  con- 
science than  the  name  of  God's  own  choosing,  which  most  tho- 
roughly sets  forth  his  glorious  character.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xxiii.  3.) 
Having  appeased  the  voice  of  conscience,  he  continued  to  delight 
his  soul  with  the  contemplation  of  the  blessed  consequences  of  a 
godly  life.  He  is  sure  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  best  way : 
the  soul  of  the  pious  shall  pitch  her  tent  and  lodge  in  goodness  as 
in  a  fruitful  land — shall  reach  her  home  and  possess  it  for  ever. 
The  thought  of  the  last  expression  requires  some  further  elucida- 
tion. Moses  made  the  promise  "  to  possess  the  land"  (to  inherit 
the  earth,)  in  a  literal  sense  to  his  people,  (Deut.  iv.  22;  xl.  5; 
xxxvi.  6.  18,)  but  since  his  days  it  has  been  used  to  denote  perfect 
peace,  as  is  apparent  from  Prov.  ii.  21.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xxxvii.  8, 9. 
The  Psalmist  further  declares  that  God  will  hold  intimate  commu- 
nion (Cf.  Prov.  iii.  32;  and  Job  xxiv.  4,  in  the  Hebrew,)  with 
them  that  fear  him,  instruct  them  by  his  Spirit,  and  establish  them 
in  the  truth. 

F.  15,  16.  Conscious  of  his  sincerity,  he  yields  once  more  to 
the  hope  of  deliverance,  pleading  that  all  other  helpers  had  for- 
saken him,  and  that  the  troubles  of  his  heart  are  very  great,  at  the 
game  time  disclaiming  personal  merit. 

F.  19 — 22.  At  the  close  of  his  prayer  he  resumes  the  petition 
and  complaint  of  the  beginning,  still  enjoying  the  same  comforts, 
viz.  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  towards  his  enemies,  and  a 
heart  assured  that  all  help  must  come  from  above.  Compare  also 
the  remarks  on  Psalm  xiv.  7. 


PSALM  XXVI. 

A  SONG  of  complaint  belonging  to  the  time  of  Saul's  persecution, 
in  which  David  expresses  the  innocence  of  his  life  and  his  love  of 
the  sanctuary,  and  prays  that  on  that  account  his  destiny  may  not 
be  like  that  of  the  ungodly,  when  they  are  visited  with  the  judg- 
ments of  God. 


PSALM  XXVI.  153 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

A 

Judge  me,  0  LORD  ; 

For  I  have  walked  in  mine  integrity: 

I  trust  also  in  the  LORD,  therefore  I  shall  not  slide. 

2  Examine  me,  0  LORD,  and  prove  me; 
Try  my  reins  and  my  heart. 

3  For  thy  loving-kindness  is  before  mine  eyes : 
And  I  have  walked  in  thy  truth. 

4  I  have  not  sat  with  vain  persons, 
Neither  have  I  communed  with  dissemblers. 

5  I  have  hated  the  congregation  of  evil  doers ; 
And  have  not  sat  with  the  wicked. 

6  I  will  wash  mine  hands  in  innocency: 
So  will  I  compass  thine  altar,  0  LORD  : 

7  That  I  may  publish  with  the  voice  of  thanksgiving, 
And  tell  of  all  thy  wondrous  works, 

8  LORD,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house, 
And  the  place  where  thine  honour  dwelleth. 

9  Gather  not  my  soul  with  sinners, 
Nor  my  life  with  bloody  men : 

10  In  whose  hands  is  mischief, 

And  their  right  hand  is  full  of  bribes. 

11  But  as  for  me  I  will  walk  in  mine  innocence : 
Redeem  me,  and  be  merciful  unto  me. 

12  My  foot  standeth  in  an  even  place : 

In  the  congregations  will  I  bless  the  LORD. 

V.  1.  David  received  no  justice  at  the  hands  of  men,  for  the 
king  himself  had  become  a  servant  of  injustice.  The  blessing  that 
a  Judge  in  heaven  presides  over  all  the  judges  on  earth,  cannot  be 
sufficiently  prized  till  we  get  reduced  to  circumstances  like  these. 
We  have  noticed  his  innocence  at  the  persecutions  of  Saul, 
(Ps.  vii.  4,  etc.^)  He  clings  to  hope  though  years  had  passed 
away  without  having  produced  any  visible  change.  He  enters 
into  the  secret  of  the  presence  of  God  with  his  "I  trust  in  the 
Lord."  Who  can  help  admiring  his  unflagging  faith?  Who 
feels  not  that  these  words  are  more  than  mere  hollow  phrases  ? 

V.  2 — 8.  His  own  conscience  yields  so  powerful  a  testimony 
against  the  untrue  accusations  circulated  by  his  enemies,  that  he 
knows  his  heart  and  mind  free  from  any  stain  in  that  respect. 
His  marvellous  adherence  to  integrity  in  his  conduct  towards  Saul 
was  the  result  of  his  piety.  He  evinced  that  piety  in  refusing  to 
associate  with  evil  doers;  he  no  doubt  increased  thereby  the  num- 


154  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

ber  of  his  adversaries,  and  fanned  the  flame  of  their  passion.  He 
further  showed  it  by  paying  to  God  the  outward  marks  of  adoration, 
by  his  offerings  on  the  altar,  his  songs  of  praise,  and  his  preference 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord  to  every  other  dwelling.  (Psalm  xxiii.  6; 
xxvii.  4;  xxxvi.  9.  Cf.  on  the  house  of  the  Lord  ad.  Psalm 
xxiii.  6.)  If  "the  honour  of  God"  in  this  place  be  regarded  to 
be  the  glory  of  God  as  manifested  above  the  ark  of  the  covenant, 
(Ezek.  ix.  3;  x.  4;  1  Sam.  iv.  21;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  61,)  it  is  to  be 
borne  in  mind  that  it  cannot  apply  to  Zion,  for  it  was  not  removed 
there  until  David's  accession  to  the  throne;  again,  the  ark  was  in 
Saul's  time  at  Kirjath-jearim,  but  to  judge  from  1  Chron.  xiii.  3, 
no  service  seems  to  have  been  held  there  in  the  days  of  Saul. 
For  these  reasons  we  had  better  understand  the  "honour"  or 
"  glory"  of  God,  of  his  majesty  which  is  especially  experienced 
and  found,  when  all  the  people  pray  to  their  God,  as  David  says, 
Psalm  Ixiii.  3,  "Thus  have  I  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary — seen  thy 
power  and  thy  glory." 

V.  9 — 12.  Assured  that  God  does  not  cease  even  on  earth  to 
make  a  marked  distinction  between  the  godly  and  the  ungodly, 
but  being  then  apparently  exposed  to  the  superiority  of  the  foe, 
(for  the  sword  was  hourly  suspended  above  his  head,)  he  prays 
God  to  make  a  difference  between  his  destiny  and  that  of  the 
wicked.  (Ps.  xxvii.  3,  4.)  He  describes  the  wicked  as  full  of 
mischief  and  ready  to  take  bribes.  The  last  clause  seems  not 
applicable  to  his  then  persecutors:  by  limiting  it  to  corrupt 
judges  exclusively  we  narrow  the  expression :  it  is  rather  a  general 
description  of  dishonesty  and  corrupt  disposition.*  On  the  other 
hand,  we  are  entitled  to  the  supposition  that  Saul  by  no  means 
failed  to  reward  his  abettors  for  accusing  and  persecuting  David. 
(1  Sam.  xxii.  7,  8.)  David  once  more  declares  his  resolution  to 
walk  after  the  commandments  of  God,  and  since  God  likes  nothing 
more  than  being  praised  by  sincere  hearts,  he  vows  not  only  to 
celebrate  his  praise  in  the  closet,  but  to  publish  it  in  the  great 
congregations  of  the  godly. 


PSALM  XXVII. 

A  PSALM  of  comfort,  replete  with  strong  faith  and  poetical  beauty. 
David  confidently  asserts  that  though  numerous  hosts  should  rise 
against  him,  or  his  nearest  and  dearest  friends  forsake  him,  he  is 

*  Prov.  xv.  27.  "He  that  is  greedy  of  gain  troubleth  his  own  house: 
but  he  that  hateth  gifts  shall  live."  Sir.  xx.  31.  " Gifts  and  offerings 
blind  the  wise."  Sir.  xl.  12.  "All  gifts  and  ill-gotten  goods  shall  vanish, 
but  honesty  shall  abide  for  ever." 


PSALM  xxvn.  155 

sure  to  ultimately  triumph  through  the  Lord.  From  special 
attention  being  had  to  verses  3,  4,  6,  10,  12,  and  their  comparison 
with  several  psalms  which  were  composed  during  the  persecution 
of  Absalom,  (Ps.  Ixiii.  42,  43,)  it  seems  very  probable  that  this 
psalm  falls  into  the  same  period. 

When  all  the  people  had  risen  against  David,  he  fervently  and 
joyfully  clings  to  his  God,  (v.  1 — 3.)  He  regards  the  communion 
with  God,  which  he  had  enjoyed  in  the  sanctuary,  as  his  highest 
good,  and  looks  at  the  sanctuary  as  a  sure  asylum,  where  he  yet 
hopes  to  sing  his  praises,  (v.  4 — 6.)  After  this  lofty  flight  of  his 
soul,  complaint  gets  audible  but  only  for  a  moment — it  immedi- 
ately re-assumes  the  expression  of  confidence,  (v.  7 — 10.)  The 
injustice  and  violence  of  his  enemies  raise  his  courage  to  pray. 
What  would  his  condition  be  without  his  trust  in  God  ?  He 
therefore  encourages  himself  in  the  fervou*  and  assurance  of 
faith,  (v.  11—14.) 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

A 

The  LORD  is  my  light  and  my  salvation ; 
Whom  shall  I  fear? 
The  LORD  is  the  strength  of  my  life ; 
Of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ? 

2  Though  the  wicked,  even  mine  enemies  and   my  foes, 

should  come  upon  me  to  eat  up  my  flesh, 
They  shall  stumble  and  fall. 

3  Though  an  host  should  encamp  against  me, 
My  heart  shall  not  fear : 

Though  war  should  rise  against  me, 
In  this  will  I  be  confident. 

4  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  LORD, 
That  will  I  seek  after; 

That  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  LORD  all  the  days 

of  my  life ; 

To  behold  the  beauty*  of  the  LORD, 
And  to  look  at  his  temple. 

5  For  in  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion : 
In  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he  hide  me : 

He  shall  set  me  upon  a  rock. 

6  And  now  shall  mine  head  be  lifted  above  mine  enemies 

round  about  me : 

Therefore  will  I  offer  in  his  tabernacle  sacrifices  of  joy; 
I  will  sing,  yea,  I  will  sing  praises  unto  the  LORD. 

*  In  the  Hebrew,  "loveliness." 


156  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

7  Hear,  0  LORD,  when  I  cry  with  my  voice : 
'    Have  mercy  also  upon  me  and  answer  me. 

8  My  heart  reminds  thee  of  thy  word:  "  Seek  ye  my  face." 
Thy  face,  LORD,  will  I  seek. 

9  Hide  not  thy  face  far  from  me ; 
Put  not  thy  servant  away  in  anger: 
Thou  hast  been  my  help ;  leave  me  not, 
Neither  forsake  me,  0  God  of  my  salvation. 

10  When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me, 
Then  the  LORD  will  take  me  up. 

11  Teach  me  thy  way,  0  LORD, 

And  lead  me  in  a  plain  path,  because  of  mine  enemies. 

12  Deliver  me  not  over  unto  the  will  of  mine  enemies : 
For  false  witnesses  are  risen  up  against  me, 

And  such  as  breathe  out  cruelty. 

13  I  had  fainted,  unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  goodness 

of  the  LORD 

14  In  the  land  of  the  living.*     Wait  on  the  LORD  : 

Be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  thine  heart : 
Wait,  I  say,  on  the  LORD. 

V.  1,  2.  Here,  as  in  Ps.  xlix.  6;  Ixxiii.  1,  we  see  a  heart,  which 
having  struggled  some  time  with  the  temptation  of  despair  mounts 
triumphantly,  fearlessly  braving  every  storm,  conscious  that  while 
God  is  for  us,  we  need  not  fear  if  the  whole  world  be  against  us. 
This  triumph  of  faith  is  impossible  if  we  lack  the  assurance  that 
God  is  reconciled  to  us :  hence  it  arises  in  the  soul  of  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  as  a  transient  ray  of  light,  which  is  soon  succeeded  by 
former  darkness.  Only  Paul  was  able  all  his  life  long  to  enjoy  the 
assurance  which  he  expresses  in  Rom.  viii.  31,  etc.  "My  light, 
my  salvation,  the  strength  of  my  life,"  is  "my  All  in  All/'  where 
I  find  concentrated  everything  in  the  search  of  which  others  have 
to  pursue  many  roads. 

V.  3,  4.  Convinced  that  the  combined  strength  of  mortals  is 
nothing  compared  unto  God,  David  neither  fears  hostile  armies  nor 
an  entire  people  risen  in  rebellion.  He  uses  similar  language  in 
Ps.  iii.  6,  7,  "I  laid  me  down  and  slept,  I  awaked  for  the  Lord 
sustained  me :  I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten  thousands  of  people,  that 
have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about."  On  his  flight  before 
Absalom,  he  left  behind  him  his  palace,  his  residence,  his  crown, 
his  wife  and  children :  he  thinks  of  none  of  these,  but  it  is  the 
highest  object  of  his  desire  "to  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  all 
the  days  of  his  life,"  so  when  he  was  in  the  desert  (Ps.  Ixiii.)  his 

*  Cf.  Gen.  1.  15,  in  the  Hebrew. 


PSALM  XXVII.  157 

soul  thirsted  for  God  and  his  sanctuary  more  than  for  anything 
else.  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  shows  how  all  his  desires  concentrated  in  the 
hope  of  his  seeing  again  the  sanctuary  on  Zion.  The  holiest  experi- 
ences of  his  life  were  connected  with  the  sanctuary,  he  therefore 
desired  to  be  never  separated  from  it.  It  is  there  where  he  realized 
the  delight  of  holy  communion  with  G-od,  which  he  describes 
Ps.  xxxvi.  8 — 10;  Ixxxiv.  11.  "To  behold  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord"  in  connection  with  "  looking  at  his  temple"  is  best  explained 
by  Luther,  who  renders,  "to  behold  the  beautiful  services  (worship) 
of  the  Lord."  Psalm  xcii.  2,  describes  the  same  delights.  "  It  is  a 
precious  thing  to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  and  to  sing  praises 
unto  thy  name,  O  most  High."  These  passages  show  that  many 
of  the  pious  in  Israel  regarded  their  worship  not  as  an  outward 
formality,  performed  in  obedience  to  the  law,  but  that  they  poured 
their  whole  soul  into  it  and  derived  spiritual  strength  from  it. 
David  goes  beyond  the  delights  of  worship:  he  longs  "to  look  at 
the  sanctuary."  This  meaning*  is  not  "outward  admiration,"  nor 
the  solemn  sentiments  only  to  which  the  holy  place  might  give 
rise,  but  the  contemplation  of  the  symbolical  meaning  of  the  holy 
ritual:  for  just  as  our  weak  eyes  are  only  able  to  look  at  the  sun 
when  he  is  reflected  in  the  mirror  of  the  waters,  so  spiritual  truths 
were  accessible  to  the  ancients  only  when  they  were  reflected  in 
the  mirror  or  the  symbol.f  Another  psalm  which  falls  into  this 
period  depicts  in  almost  the  same  words  the  longing  of  the  exiled 
king  for  the  sanctuary  and  its  services,  (Ps.  Ixiii.  2,  3.) 

V.  5,  6.  The  tabernacle  presented  an  asylum  to  the  pursued. 
(1  Kings  ii.  29.)  He  therefore  names  the  pavilion  of  God  as  his 
place  of  refuge  in  all  the  tempests  of  his  life :  the  same  thought  is 
expressed  in  Psalm  Ixi.  5.  (Cf.  Ps.  xxxi.  21.)  David  having 
spoken  of  the  temple  in  verse  4,  names  in  verses  5,  6,  the  taber- 
nacle, which  shows,  as  was  observed  ad.  Psalm  v.  8,  that  the  taber- 
nacle used  to  be  called  the  temple.^  Another  figure  describes  the 
manner  of  his  deliverance  from  danger.  "He  shall  set  me  upon  a 
rock."  In  that  manner  he  had  during  his  former  years  of  suffer- 
ing often  escaped  from  his  persecutors.  While  the  children  of  the 

*  The  Hebrew  means  rather  "mental  looking  at  a  thing"  than  physical. 

f  "A  former  race,  more  affected  by  sensuous  impressions,  must  have 
possessed  a  greater  sense  (adaptation)  for  symbolical  language:  it  may  be 
said  that  entire  nature  showed  her  physiognomy  to  them."  0.  Mueller, 
Prolegom.  of  Mythology,  p.  258.  Cf.  Baehr's  Symbolism  of  the  Mosaic 
Ritual,  2  vols.  1837  and  1839. 

J  Commentators  who  dispute  the  Davidic  origin  of  this  psalm,  have  not 
satisfactorily  explained  David's  speaking  here  of  the  Tabernacle.  Krahmer 
says,  "The  temple  which  was  built  in  the  form  of  the  tabernacle."  Others 
(Gesenius)  think  that  Ezek.  xli.  1,  is  as  much  "tent"  as  "temple."  Cf. 
however  Boetticher's  Specimens  of  the  Old  Testament  Interpretations, 
p.  237. 

14 


158  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

world  celebrate  only  secular  triumphs  after  such  marvellous  preser- 
vations and  deliverances,  and  praise  and  magnify  their  good  for- 
tune, David  thinks  beforehand  of  the  praises  he  intends  to  sing  to 
his  Lord,  and  he  does  it  with  an  evident  foretaste  of  holy  delight. 

F.  7 — 10.  He  had  struggled  through  much  anxiety  to  the  con- 
fidence here  expressed;  but  as  the  waves  of  the  heart  undulate, 
and  light  and  shade  alternate  in  trouble,  fear  breaks  forth  once 
more,  though  it  is  raised  and  supported  by  divine  consolation. 
With  the  key  of  a  divine  promise  as  ancient  as  Moses,  (Deut. 
iv.  29;  cf.  2  Chron.  xv.  2;  Psalm  cv.  4,)  he  unlocks  the  door  that 
leads  to  God,  and  takes  God  at  his  own  word,  whereby  he  teaches 
us  how  the  word  of  God  should,  like  the  echo  in  mountainous 
regions,  find  a  thousandfold  echo  in  our  hearts,  to  raise  our  confi- 
dence by  its  repeated  calls.  Having  laid  hold  of  God  in  his  word, 
he  continues  to  pray  for  the  experience  of  its  power:  for  by*the 
unveiling  of  the  countenance  of  God  he  understands  the  experience 
of  his  favour.  He  prays  in  the  right  manner,  disowning  all  other 
help  save  that  of  God.  We  may  have  earthly  resources,  and  apply 
to  them,  but  we  are  to  do  it  in  God,  not  without  him.  David  is  so 
sure  of  divine  favour,  that  though  all  earthly  supports  however 
near  and  dear  should  fail,  he  knows  that  God  will  always  remain 
the  same.  Parental  hearts  are  susceptible  of  the  tenderest  love  for 
their  offspring,  but  God  has  promised  far  greater :  "Can  a  woman 
forget  her  sucking  child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the 
son  of  her  womb?  yea,  they  may  forget,  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee." 
(Isa,  xlix.  15.)  God  is  David's  first  and  last  resource:  he  presents 
indeed  a  powerful  contrast  to  an  unbelieving  world,  to  whom  God, 
if  haply  they  think  of  him,  is  only  the  stop-gap  of  earthly  helpers. 
But  the  Lord  is  a  jealous  God,  who  will  not  give  his  glory  to 
another.  (Exod.  xxxiv.  14.) 

F.  11,  12.  It  is  touching  to  notice  his  prayers  for  Divine  assist- 
ance that  transgression  may  not  deprive  him  of  the  glory  which 
until  then  even  his  enemies  were  obliged  to  leave  him;  viz.  the 
glory  of  a  good  conscience.  Now  that  the  father  went  to  war  against 
his  son,  the  king  against  his  own  people,  there  were  many  occasions 
for  stumbling,  either  from  weakness  or  severity.  Certain  calumnies 
of  his  enemies  were  not  wanting:  2  Sam.  xv.  3,  4,  state  the  rumours 
detrimental  to  the  character  of  David  which  had  been  circulated  by 
Absalom,  and  2  Sam.  xvi.  8,  the  unjust  railings  which  Shimei 
uttered  in  the  interest  of  Absalom. 

F.  13,  14.  We  may  supply  the  thought  of  David  to  the  words, 
"I  had  fainted  unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living/'  from  Psalm  cxix.  92,  where  he  says, 
"Unless  the  law  had  been  my  delights,  I  should  then  have  perished 
in  mine  affliction.1'  If  he  had  not  trusted  in  the  Lord,  he  would 
indeed  have  been  undone;  for  in  his  circumstances  there  was  no 


PSALM  XXVIII.  159 

hope  for  him  with  men.  Hoping  in  the  Lord  he  encourages  himself, 
that  though  his  help  be  delayed,  he  will  not  look  out  for  any  other 
help.  There  is  no  more  dignified  species  of  worship  to  be  found, 
than  that  of  exemplifying  our  faith  in  the  omnipotence  and  wisdom 
of  Grod,  by  humble  and  joyous  perseverance  under  the  greatest 
difficulties. 


PSALM  XXVIIL 

A  90NG  of  complaint,  belonging  to  the  time  of  Absalom's  persecu- 
tion, as  appears  from  verses  8,  9,  where  David  prays  for  himself 
the  king,  and  for  his  loyal  subjects.  (Cf.  Ps.  Ixiii.  12.) 

In  some  mournful  hour  of  that  time  he  prays  God  not  to  suffer 
the  innocent  to  be  destroyed  with  the  guilty,  (v.  1 — 5.)  His  faith 
then  mounts  suddenly  to  prophetic  certainty :  he  thanks  the  Lord 
for  having  answered  his  prayers,  and  expresses  his  conviction  that 
the  blessing  of  God  will  rest  on  the  king  and  the  people,  (v.  6 — 9.) 

PSALM  of  David. 

Unto  thee  will  I  cry,  0  LORD,  my  rock ;  be  not  silent 

to  me: 
Lest,  if  thou  be  silent  to  me,  I  become  like  them  that  go 

down  into  the  pit. 

2  Hear  the  voice  of  my  supplications,  when  I  cry  unto  thee. 
When  I  lift  up  my  hands  towards  thy  holy  oracle. 

3  Draw  me  not  away  with  the  wicked,  and  with  the  workers 

of  iniquity, 

Which  speak  peace  to  their  neighbours, 
But  mischief  is  in  their  hearts. 

4  Give  them  according  to  their  deeds, 

And  according  to  the  wickedness  of  their  endeavours : 
Give  them  after  the  work  of  their  hands; 
Render  to,  them  their  desert. 

5  Because  they  regard  not  the  works  of  the  LORD, 
Nor  the  operation  of  his  hands, 

He  shall  destroy  them,  and  not  build  them  up. 

6  Blessed  be  the  LORD, 

Because  he  hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  supplications. 


160  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

7  The  LORD  is  my  strength  and  my  shield ; 
My  heart  trusted  in  him,  and  I  am  helped : 
Therefore  my  heart  greatly  rejoiceth; 
And  with  my  song  will  I  praise  him. 

8  The  LORD  'is  their  strength  (i.  e.  the  faithful  followers  of 

the  king,) 
And  he  is  the  saving  strength  of  his  anointed. 

9  Save  thy  people,  and  bless  thine  inheritance : 
Feed  them  also,  and  lift  them  up  for  ever. 

V.  1.  David's  refuge  is  with  God — this  evidences  his  faith  and 
good  conscience.  For  however  much  suffering  dims  the  life  of  all, 
there  are  but  few  who  make  the  Lord  their  refuge.  Most  men 
either  inwardly  consume  their  grief  in  obstinate  silence,  or  give 
vent  to  it  in  idle  complaints,  or  conquered  by  despair  succumb  to 
misfortune.  The  reason  is  just  this,  that  most  men  shrink  from 
approaching  God  through  infidelity  or  accusing  consciences,  and 
know  not  the  blessedness  of  confiding  in  his  omnipotence  and 
mercy.  David  indicates  the  greatness  of  his  danger  by  saying, 
that  he  resembles  those  who  have  no  hope  on  earth. 

V.  2.  His  supplication  is  fervent — the  waters  are  come  unto 
his  soul.  He  has  not  indulged  in  lukewarm  speech  before  God, 
but  cried  and  lifted  up  his  hands  to  the  Holiest  of  Holies :  viz. 
toward  the  seat  of  the  ark,  the  visible  sanctuary  which  God  had 
provided  for  Israel,  because  they  found  it  so  difficult  to  raise  their 
hearts  to  heaven. 

V.  3 — 5.  Far  from  believing  that  God  makes  no  difference 
between  the  righteous  and  the  ungodly  and  treats  both  indiscrimi- 
nately alike,  he  forms  the  hope  of  his  consolation  from  the  character 
of  God.  In  verse  5,  the  root  of  the  evil  works  of  the  wicked  is 
shown,  who  will  not  regard  the  doings  of  the  Lord — those  evidences 
of  his  power,  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  which  in  every  place  he 
has  exhibited  to  the  attentive  observer. 

V.  6,  7.  Hearty  petitions  imply  the  assurance  that  they  will  be 
answered.  Hence  no  surprise  need  be  felt  if  assurance  often  fur- 
nishes the  Amen.  So  here  in  the  case  of  David.  If  his  assurance 
was  of  the  right  kind,  we  have  to  regard  his  Amen  not  as  a  human 
response,  but  like  assurance  itself,  the  effect  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Being  able  like  a  hero  to  look  to  the  Lord  and  to  trust  in  his 
strength,  his  help  is  come. 

V.  8,  9.  "The  Lord  is  their  strength/'  This  refers  to  his 
faithful  followers,  who  had  not  joined  the  multitude  in  siding  with 
Absalom.  He  refers  to  these  in  Psalm  Ixiii.  12,  "But  the  king 
shall  rejoice  in  God;  every  one  that  sweareth  by  him  shall  glory" 
as  in  Psalm  iii.  he  concludes  with  praying  in  verse  9  for  these — 
the  chosen  people,  the  people  and  inheritance  of  God. 


PSALM  XXIX*  161 


PSALM  XXIX. 

A  GLORIOUS  psalm  of  praise  sung  during  a  tempest,  the  majesty  of 
which  shakes  universal  nature,  so  much  so  that  the  greatness  of 
the  power  of  the  Lord  is  felt  by  all  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  This 
Lord  is  the  God  of  his  people,  who  blesses  them  with  strength  and 
peace. 

To  rightly  appreciate  the  feelings  of  the  bard,  one  ought  to 
realize  an  oriental  storm,  especially  in  the  mountainous  regions  of 
Palestine,  which,  accompanied  by  the  terrific  echoes  of  the  encir- 
cling mountains,  by  torrents  of  rain  like  waterspouts,  often  scatters 
terror  on  man  and  beast,  destruction  on  cities  and  fields.* 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

-el 

Give  unto  the  LORD,  0  ye  mighty,  f 
Give  unto  the  LORD  glory  and  strength. 

2  Give  unto  the  LORD  the  glory  due  unto  his  name ; 
Worship  the  LORD  in  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

3  The  voice  of  the  LORD  is  upon  the  waters : 
The  God  of  glory  thundereth : 

The  LORD  is  above  great  waters. 

4  The  voice  of  the  LORD  is  powerful ; 
The  voice  of  the  LORD  is  full  of  majesty. 

5  The  voice  of  the  LORD  breaketh  the  cedars ; 
Yea,  the  LORD  breaketh  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 

6  He  maketh  them  also  to  skip  like  calves : 
Lebanon  and  Sirion  like  young  buffaloes. 

7  The  voice  of  the  LORD  divideth  the  flames  of  fire. 

8  The  voice  of  the  LORD  shaketh  the  wilderness ; 
The  LORD  shaketh  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh, 

9  The  voice  of  the  LORD  maketh  the  hinds  (for  terror) 

to  calve, 

And  denudeth  the  forests : 
And  in  his  temple  the  utterance  of  all  is,  "  glory. " 

*  Wilson,  the  traveller,  describes  such  a  tempest  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Baalbek;  "I  was  overtaken  by  a  storm,  as  if  the  floodgates  of  heaven 
had  burst;  it  came  on  in  a  moment,  and  raged  with  a  power  which  sug- 
gested the  end  of  the  world.  Solemn  darkness  covered  the  earth :  the  rain 
descended  in  torrents,  and  sweeping  down  the  mountain  side,  became  by 
the  fearful  power  of  the  storm  transmuted  into  thick  clouds  of  fog."  Cf. 
also  our  Lord's  parable,  taken  from  life,  in  Matt.  vii.  27.^ 

f  Or,  "Ye  sons  of  God." 
14* 


162  COMMENTAK?  ON  THE  PSALMS, 

10  The  LORD  sitteth  enthroned  upon  the  floods ; 
Yea,  the  LORD  sitteth  King  for  ever. 

11  The  LORD  will  give  strength  unto  his  people ; 
The  LORD  will  bless  his  people  with  peace. 

V.  1,  2.  The  Psalmist  translates  himself  to  the  regions  above, 
where  the  events  of  earth  are  prepared.  The  mighty  ones  of  God 
or  the  sons  of  God,  i.  e.  his  heavenly  spirits,  are  represented  as 
spectators,  while  the  Lord  is  about  to  send  the  messengers  of  his 
power  to  the  earth.  The  Psalmist  calls  upon  them  to  praise  the 
mighty  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  i.  e.  after  the  solemn  man- 
ner of  priests.  (Psalm  ex.  3.)  Heaven  is  properly  the  Temple  oi 
God,  (verse  9 ;  Ps.  xi.  4,)  of  which  earthly  temples  are  only  the 
representations.  Saints  on  earth  adore  and  worship  at  the  rising 
of  the  Lord's  tempests — how  much  more  the  holy  ones  in  heaven ! 

F.  3,  4.  The  solemn  repetition  of  "  The  voice  of  the  Lord," 
occurs  seven  times.  A  sevenfold  thunder  is  mentioned  Rev.  x.  4, 
It  is  as  if  the  voice  of  thunder  were  audible  in  sevenfold  peals, 
The  waters  float  as  yet  heavily  along  the  sky,  while  the  thundei 
rages  with  majesty  and  power  in  the  heavens  above  them.  (Cf.  Ps, 
civ.  3;  cxlviii.  4.) 

V.  5 — 9.  The  thunder  of  the  Lord  descends  to  the  earth  in  the 
lofty  regions  of  Northern  Palestine,  in  the  high  mountains  o1 
which  its  power  is  felt  first.  The  ancient  cedars,  crowded  togethei 
on  Lebanon  and  Sirion,  (i.  e.  Anti-Lebanon,)  leap  at  the  might} 
thunder  peals,  like  calves  skipping  on  the  pasture  or  like  youn£ 
buffaloes,  and  are  torn  down.  The  thunder  descending  to  th( 
earth,  separates  into  hissing  lightning.  The  level  country,  th( 
deserts,  the  pastures — as  far  as  the  southern  frontier  of  Palestine 
the  wilderness  of  Kadesh,  where  the  country  of  the  Edomitej 
begins — all  shake  and  tremble.  Storm  and  lightning  divest  the 
trees  of  the  forest  of  their  garment,  and  terror-struck  the  timic 
hinds  give  premature  birth  to  their  young.  The  celestial  specta 
tors  gaze  upon  the  scene,  and  the  sound  of  "  Glory,  glory !"  rever- 
berates through  the  heavenly  temple. 

V.  10,  11.  The  Psalmist  sees  these  things  not  with  his  physica 
but  with  his  spiritual  eye:  the  majesty  of  the  Lord,  however  greai 
and  glorious  it  did  appear  to  him  at  all  times,  seems  more  roya 
still  on  his  beholding  the  King  of  nature  enthroned  over  the  floods 
of  water.  This  revelation  of  his  majestic  power  was  transient:  bui 
the  power  itself  is  his  for  ever  and  for  ever.  "  Happy  are  we,"  h* 
concludes,  "if  this  God  is  our  God:  happy  are  we,  for  he  will  give 
us  strength  and  peace." 


PSALM  XXX. 


PSALM  XXX. 

A  HUMBLE  and  joyful  psalm  of  praise  after  deliverance  from 
great  affliction.  Its  title  and  its  contents  can  be  harmonized  on 
the  supposition,  that  David  composed  it  when  he  dedicated  the 
place  for  the  building  of  the  Temple,  on  which  God  had  com- 
manded him  to  erect  an  altar  after  the  deliverance  of  the  country 
from  the  pestilence.  (1  Chron.  xxi.  18 ;  xxii.  1.)  The  details  of 
that  event  were  as  follows.  In  spite  of  the  monitions  of  Joab,  not 
to  sin  against  the  Lord,  David  had  insisted  upon  taking  the  census 
of  the  martial  strength  of  his  nation.  Joab,  afraid  of  the  resist- 
ance of  the  people,  had,  accompanied  by  a  military  escort,  gone 
through  the  country  for  that  purpose.  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  4;  1  Chron. 
xxi.  4.)  Though  the  historical  books  are  not  explicit  as  to  the 
motives  of  the  king,  yet  the  manner  of  the  expressions  used  seems 
to  indicate  that  David  yielded  to  the  promptings  of  pride — that  he 
sought  in  the  exact  knowledge  of  his  available  resources  to  gratify 
his  ambition,  and  in  the  enrolment  of  those  of  his  subjects  who 
were  competent  to  take  up  arms,  to  find  a  coercive  which  should 
render  the  participation  in  new  military  enterprises  obligatory  to 
all  his  subjects. 

The  assumption  of  the  latter  view  is  suggested  by  the  question 
of  Joab,  "My  lord  king,  are  they  not  all  my  lord's  servants?" 
This  measure  is  the  more  striking  because  it  falls  into  the  latter 
portion  of  the  life  of  David,  when  his  kingdom  was  not  exposed  to 
any  danger.  The  unpopularity  of  that  measure  with  the  people 
may  be  inferred  from  the  circumstance,  that  Joab  was  obliged  to 
go  through  the  country  under  military  escort,  and  that  he  could 
not  make  up  his  mind  to  extend  the  census  to  Benjamin,  a  tribe 
much  inclined  to  resistance.  (1  Chron.  xxi.  6.  Cf.  on  the  aver- 
sion of  Benjamin  to  the  king,  Introduction  to  Psalm  Ixxviii.) 
The  pestilence  raged  for  three  days  in  the  land  as  a  Divine  pun- 
ishment for  the  daring  of  the  king.  David  and  the  elders  of 
Israel,  clothed  in  sackcloth,  (i.  e.  mourning  apparel,)  fell  upon 
their  faces  with  prayers  of  repentance.  Then  was  the  plague 
stayed,  and  Gad,  the  aged  prophet,  who  had  stood  by  David  from 
his  youth,  delivered  the  Divine  commission  to  him,  that  he  was  to 
build  an  altar  on  the  place  where  the  pestilence  was  stopped,  on 
Moriah.  The  sacredness  in  which  David  held  that  spot  was  pro- 
portioned to  the  depths  of  his  repentance.  It  was  to  him  a  stand- 
ing memorial  of  the  mercy  of  God.  On  that  identical  spot  he 
determined  to  erect  the  temple,  the  building  of  which  he  could 
only  prepare  but  not  execute  in  his  advanced  age.  The  Psalm 
expresses  feelings  such  as  we  should  or  might  expect  then,  (after 
such  events,)  at  the  dedication  of  that  place  for  the  bunding  of 
the  temple.  His  security  of  pride,  which  led  to  the  taking  of  the 


164  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

census,  is  expressed  in  verses  7,  8,  while  v.  9 — 11  denote  his  fear 
of  being  consumed  by  the  judgment  of  God.  (Of.  2  Sam.  xxiv.  17.) 
He  glories  at  the  brief  duration  of  the  anger  of  the  Lord  in 
verses  5,  6.  Feelings  of  deep  humility  and  vivid  joy  alternate  in 
this  beautiful  psalm. 

He  glories  in  his  deliverance  from  the  brink  of  the  precipice, 
(v.  2 — 4,)  and  invites  the  godly  to  celebrate  the  riches  of  the 
longsuffering  and  mercy  of  God,  who  suffers  his  anger  to  endure 
but  for  a  little,  (v.  5,  6.)  He  describes  his  former  security,  as 
well  as  his  complaint  when  chastisement  broke  in,  (v.  7,  11,)  and 
regards  his  deliverance  as  the  most  emphatic  exhortation  to  the 
unceasing  praise  of  the  Lord,  (v.  12,  18.) 

1  A    PSALM  and  Song  of  David  at  the  dedication  of  the 
.iJL         temple. 

2  I  will  extol  thee,  0  LORD  ;  for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up, 
And  hast  not  made  my  foes  to  rejoice  over  me. 

3  0  LORD  my  God,  I  cried  unto  thee, 
And  thou  hast  healed  me.* 

4  0  LORD,  thou  hast  brought  up  my  soul  from  the  grave : 
Thou  hast  kept  me  alive,  while  others  went  down .  to 

the  pit. 

5  Sing  unto  the  LORD,  0  ye  saints  of  his, 

And  give  thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  his  holiness. 

6  For  his  anger  endureth  but  a  moment ; 
But  his  favour  for  life. 

Weeping  may  come  in  the  evening, 
But  joy  in  the  morning. 

7  And  in  my  prosperity  I  said, 
"I  shall  never  be  moved." 

8  LORD,  by  thy  favour  thou  hadst  made  my  mountain  to 

stand  strong: 
But  thou  didst  hide  thy  face,  and  I  was  troubled, 

9  I  cried  to  thee,  0  LORD  ; 

And  unto  the  LORD  I  made  supplication. 

10  What  profit  is  there  in  my  blood,  when  I  go  down  to 

the  pit  ? 
Shall  the  dust  praise  thee  ?  shall  it  declare  thy  truth  ? 

11  Hear,  0  LORD,  and  have  mercy  upon  me : 
LORD,  be  thou  my  helper. 

12  Thou  hast  turned  for  me  my  mourning  into  dancing: 
Thou  hast  put  off  my  sackcloth,  and  girded  me  with 

gladness : 

*  Or,  "Thou  hast  restored  me." 


PSALM  XXX.  165 

13  To  the  end  that  my  soul*  may  sing  praise  to  thee,  and 

not  be  silent. 
0  LORD,  my  God,  I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee  for  ever. 

V.  2 — 4.  History  coincides  with  the  sentiments  of  this  psalm. 
David  so  far  from  expecting  to  remain  untouched  by  the  pestilence, 
prompted  by  his  love  for  his  people,  actually  called  the  punish- 
ment upon  his  own  guilty  head.  Hence  his  lively  gratitude. 
He  says  that  he  could  have  borne  least  the  triumphant  rejoicings 
of  his  foes  at  home  and  abroad.  Is  it  possible  to  think  of  any- 
thing more  humiliating  than  that  he  should  expire  beneath  the 
chastising  strokes  of  that  God,  in  whose  aid  he  had  so  often 
gloried,  and  whose  support  had  carried  him  to  so  lofty  a  position? 
He  was  preserved  alive,  while  others  went  down  to  the  pit.  For 
this  he  had  reason  to  thank  and  praise  the  Lord  in  deep  humility 
but  in  great  joy  withal.  From  the  expression,  "And  thou  hast 
healed  me/'  in  verse  3,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  king  himself 
was  ill,  since  the  words  "to  heal"  and  "to  build"  are  used  in  the 
Old  Testament  to  denote  any  kind  of  healing.  David  tottered 
when  his  kingdom  tottered. 

V.  5,  6.  It  is  beautifully  instructive  to  notice  how  the  Psalmists 
rise  from  their  individual  to  general  experience :  identifying  them- 
selves with  the  Church  they  address  the  Church.  The  consoling 
sentiment  of  verse  6,  has  dried  myriads  of  tears  since  David 
uttered  it  for  the  first  time.  True,  our  life  is  made  up  of  so  much 
trouble  and  anguish,  and  such  a  perpetual  alternation  of  light  and 
shade,  that  hardly  a  day  passes  without  its  sorrow  for  the  present, 
its  care  for  the  future.  But  the  assurance  of  Divine  favour  invari- 
ably enriches  our  souls  with  peace  and  gladness  under  present 
trouble  no  less  than  in  sight  of  fears  of  the  future,  and  the  severity 
of  Divine  wrath  is  felt  by  those  who  are  reconciled  to  God  for 
hours  and  moments  only:  the  pious  are  therefore  entitled  to  say 
with  David,  that  the  proportion  of  their  sense  of  Divine  favour 
and  inward  joy  to  Divine  wrath  and  inward  trouble,  is  like  that  of 
their  whole  life  to  a  moment.  This  sentiment  in  the  mouth  of 
David  shows  that  he  did  not  determine  the  measure  of  his  enjoy- 
ments and  pleasures  by  what  is  so  called  by  the  many — for  since 
few  have  to  drain  a  larger  cup  of  affliction  than  fell  to  his  lot,  his 
delight  in  life  must  have  been  based  upon  his  delight  in  the  love 
of  God.  Who  else  would  during  so  many  years  of  affliction  have 
composed  the  number  of  songs  of  gratitude  and  praise  which  David 
did?  (Isa.  liv.  7,  8.) 

*  The  original  has  "soul"  (or  " tongue")  without  the  pronoun,  but  such 
omissions  of  the  pronoun  are  by  no  means  rare,  (Jer.  xxxi.  47;  xiv.  10; 
Psalm  Ix.  6;  cxlix.  5.) 


166  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

F.  7,  8.  David  with  all  his  faults  is  ever  ready  to  admit  that 
the  chastisement  of  God  is  just,  an  extremely  difficult  admission  to 
the  majority  of  men.  The  ancient  declaration  of  Moses,  "that 
when  Israel  waxed  fat  he  kicked/'  (Deut.  xxxii.  15,)  finds  its  daily 
confirmation  in  life.  Though  there  is  nothing  more  dissonant  with 
a  truly  pious  man,  than  in  prosperity  to  arrive  at  a  carnal  security, 
yet  some  even  of  the  pious  occasionally  yield  to  this  temptation. 
David  is  far  from  saying  with  Nebuchadnezzar,  "Is  not  this  great 
Babylon,  that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom  by  the 
might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty?"  (Daniel 
iv.  27.)  On  the  contrary  he  says,  "Lord,  by  thy  favour  thou 
hadst  made  my  mountain  to  stand  strong."  But  his  very  readiness 
to  trace  back  all  his  glory  to  God  exposed  him  to  the  danger  of 
mingling  self-elevation  with  his  heartfelt  joy  at  the  mercy  of  God; 
or  he  may  have  resembled  those  who  in  their  confession,  "God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  are  wont  to  give  the  whole  emphasis  to 
the  word  me  instead  of  merciful;  or  in  praising  and  considering 
the  gift  of  God,  he  may  have  rejoiced  more  at  the  gift  than  at  the 
Giver.  The  exact  computation  and  mobilisation  of  his  forces  indi- 
cates a  state  of  mind  but  little  befitting  the  aged  king,  who  had 
triumphed  over  all  his  enemies,  and  knew  his  kingdom  secure.  He 
had  yet  to  learn  what  is  expressed  in  Psalm  cxix.  67,  "Before  I 
was  brought  low  I  went  astray;  but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word." 
"Thou  hast  made  my  mountain  to  stand  strong,"  may  refer  to 
Zion,  but  "mountain"  is  probably  a  figurative  expression  for 
"majesty,"  (i.  e.  royal  highness.) 

F.  9 — 11.  When  the  Lord  hid  his  countenance,  David  sought 
to  move  him  by  his  vows,  and  regarding  his  earthly  existence  in 
the  sole  aspect  of  setting  forth  the  glory  of  God,  supplicated  the 
assistance  of  the  Lord. 

F.  12,  13.  He  and  the  elders  of  Israel  had  lain  on  their  faces 
in  mourning  apparel  before  the  Lord.  Now  he  was  permitted  to 
gird  himself  with  gladness :  he  determines  to  make  the  praises  of 
the  Lord  the  business  of  his  life,  and  his  preparations  for  the 
building  of  the  temple  are  subservient  to  that  intention. 


PSALM  XXXI. 

A  PLAINTIVE  psalm,  composed  under  a  sense  of  great  desertion, 
from  which  the  Psalmist,  however,  rises  to  confidence  and  firm 
courage.  It  evidently  belongs  to  the  period  of  David's  flight,  when 
the  persecution  had  been  raging  for  some  time,  and  began  to  get 
intolerable,  (v.  11.)  Commentators  have  referred  this  psalm  to  the 


PSALM  XXXI.  167 

same  period  as  1  Sam.  xxiii.  26,  simply  because  both  there  and  in 
v.  23  of  this  psalm  the  same  word  stands  in  the  original.* 

Conscious  of  his  confidence  in  the  Lord,  he  begins  the  psalm 
with  believing  supplication,  (v.  2 — 9 ;)  his  cry  for  help,  however, 
becomes  more  painful  and  touching  on  his  realizing  the  continu- 
ance and  magnitude  of  his  sufferings,  (v.  10 — 19;)  but  placing, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  riches  of  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  before  his 
soul,  he  feels  edified  and  strengthened  to  a  degree,  that  he  wonders 
how  he  could  have  hesitated :  and  concludes  with  an  exhortation  to 
the  godly  to  repose  unwavering  trust  in  the  Lord,  (v.  22 — 25.) 

1  H^O  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

2  In  thee,  0  LORD,  do  I  put  my  trust ; 
Let  me  never  be  ashamed  : 

Deliver  me  in  thy  righteousness  (goodness.) 

3  Bow  down  thine  ear  to  me ; 

Deliver  me  speedily :  be  thou  my  strong  rock. 
For  an  house  of  defence  to  save  me. 

4  For  thou  art  my  rock  and  my  fortress ; 

Therefore  for  thy  name's  sake  lead  me,  and  guide  me. 

5  Pull  me  out  of  the  net  that  they  have  laid  privily  for  me : 
For  thou  art  my  strength. 

6  Into  thine  hami  I  commit  my  spirit: 

Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  0  LORD  God  of  truth. 

7  I  hate  them  that  regard  lying  vanities : 
But  I  trust  in  the  LORD. 

8  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  thy  mercy: 
For  thou  hast  considered  my  trouble ; 
Thou  hast  known  my  soul  in  adversities ; 

9  And  hast  not  shut  me  up  into  the  hand  of  the  enemy : 
Thou  hast  set  my  feet  in  a  large  room  (space.) 

10  Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  LORD,  for  I  am  in  trouble : 
Mine  eye  is  consumed  with  grief, 
Yea,  my  soul  and  my  belly. 

*  Jeremiah  and  Jonah  have  used  this  psalm  in  later  times,  and  borrowed 
some  of  its  expressions.  Cf.  Sam.  iii.  54,  with  verse  23;  Jer.  xx.  10,  with 
verse  14;  Jonah  ii.  3,  with  verse  23;  Jonah  ii.  9,  with  verse  7;  also  Psalm 
xliv.  14;  Ixxix.  4,  with  verse  12.  That  the  prophets  used  the  Psalms,  and 
not  the  Psalmist  the  prophets,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fondness  of  Jere- 
miah to  weave  the  sayings  of  the  ancients  into  his  compositions:  it  is 
unmistakable  e.  g.  in  Psalm  i.  3;  xxxiii.  7.  Cf.  in  general,  Kuper,  Jeremias 
librorum  sacrorum  interpres  atque  index,  Berlin,  1837 — a  work  which  is 
not  yet  sufficiently  estimated. 


168  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

11  For  my  life  is  spent  with  grief. 
And  my  years  with  sighing : 

My  strength  faileth  because  of  my  punishment, 
And  my  bones  are  consumed. 

12  I  am  become  a  reproach  among  all  mine  enemies, 
But  especially  among  my  neighbours, 

And  a  fear  to  my  kindred: 
They  that  see  me  without  flee  from  me. 
131  am  forgotten  as  a  dead  man  out  of  mind : 
I  am  like  a  broken  vessel. 

14  For  I  have  heard  the  slander  of  many: 
Fear  is  on  every  side : 

While  they  take  council  together  against  me, 
They  devise  to  take  away  my  life. 

15  But  I  trust  in  thee,  0  LORD  : 
I  say,  "Thou  art  my  God." 

16  My  times  are  in  thy  hand : 

Deliver  me  from  the  hand  of  mine  enemies, 
And  from  them  that  persecute  me. 

17  Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  servant : 
Save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake. 

18  Let  me  not  be  ashamed,  0  LORD,  for  I  have  called  upon 

thee: 

The  wicked  shall  be  ashamed,  * 

They  shall  be  silenced  in  Sheol. 

19  The  lying  lips  shall  be  put  to  silence 
Which  speak  grievous  things  proudly 
And  contemptuously  against  the  righteous. 

20  Oil  how  great  is  thy  goodness, 

Which  thou  hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee ; 
Which  thou  showest  to  them  that  trust  in  thee  before 
the  sons  of  men ! 

21  Thou  shalt  hide  them  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence 
From  the  device  of  man : 

Thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion 
From  the  strife  of  tongues. 

22  Blessed  be  the  LORD  : 

For  he  hath  showed  me  his  marvellous  kindness 
In  a  strong  city. 

23  For  I  said  in  my  haste, 

I  am  cut  off  from  before  thine  eyes : 

Nevertheless  thou  heardest  the  voice  of  my  supplications 

When  I  cried  unto  thee. 


PSALM  XXXI.  169 

24  0  love  the  LORD,  all  ye  his  saints : 
For  the  LORD  preserveth  the  faithful, 
And  plentifully  rewardeth  the  proud  doer. 

25  Be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  your  heart, 
All  ye  that  hope  in  the  LORD. 

V.  2 — 4.  The  prayer  for  speedy  deliverance  shows  the  greatness 
of  his  affliction,  while  verses  10,  11,  indicate  that  he  was  not  inex- 
perienced in  the  school  of  sorrows.  How  many  prayers,  equally 
believing,  may  have  preceded  this,  without  having  effected  the 
cessation  of  his  season  of  suffering.  We  cannot  sufficiently  admire 
these  words,  "In  thee  do  I  put  my  trust,"  which  with  every  new 
day  of  suffering,  rise  in  undiminished  strength.  Though  a  thousand 
times  sent  away,  we  should  find  it  an  easy  thing  to  return  a  thou- 
sand times  to  the  same  door,  did  we  but  possess  the  assurance  of 
of  David  that  this  is  the  only  way  to  salvation:  for  he  knows  of  no 
other  rock  nor  fortress  than  God. 

F.  5 — 9.  Most  men  suffer  shipwreck  on  one  of  two  cliffs;  they 
either  march  so  securely  in  this  life,  where,  as  one  of  the  Fathers 
observes,  man  is  ever  walking  on  glass,  as  if  no  mishap  could 
befall  them ;  or,  aware  of  the  uncertainty  of  human  prosperity,  they 
toil  and  labour  in  seeking  to  keep  every  disturbance  of  it  at  a  dis- 
tance, just  as  if  they  were  able  to  see  and  manage  everything. 
David,  though  perfectly  conscious  of  the  thousandfold  dangers  which 
beset  our  every  step,  yet  equally  convinced  of  the  utter  insufficiency 
of  human  foresight,  avoids  either  mistake.  He  is  anxious  for  his 
life,  but  anxious  in  such  a  manner  that  he  commits  it  to  the  best 
of  advocates.  His  confidence  is  not  the  trial  of  a  novice,  who  for 
the  first  time  tests  his  faith  and  his  God.  He  is  enabled  to  call 
God  by  a  name,  which  if  learnt  from  experience  and  not  from  books, 
is  itself  a  potent  shield  in  the  day  of  temptation.  He  calls  him  the 
God  of  truth,  i.  e.  faithfulness,  knows  the  inanity  of  every  other 
hope,  and  is  sure  that  God  remembers  him  in  days  of  adversity. 

V.  10,  11.  The  contrast  of  past  experience  with  present  facts 
impresses  him  with  the  full  extent  of  his  tribulation.  Though  a 
hero  in  mind,  though  disciplined  in  the  school  of  sorrows,  yet  the 
grief  of  his  soul  has  so  affected  him  that  his  sap  of  life  is  consumed 
and  his  body  attenuated.  The  sting  of  conscience  has  blended 
with  the  external  causes  of  his  misery.  Great  evil,  according  to 
the  divinely  instituted  connexion  between  sin  and  evil,  always  tends 
to  awaken  man's  consciousness  of  guilt.  Though  in  his  present 
troubles  innocent  before  man,  he  knew  himself  impure  (Cf.  ad.  Ps. 
vi.  1)  before  God,  and  called  therefore  his  misery  his  punishment. 

V.  12 — 14.  Though  these  and  similar  expressions  in  the  Psalms 
cannot  always  be  taken  in  a  literal  sense,  (Cf.  Ps.  Ixix.  9;  Ixxxviii. 
19,)  they  may  be  conceived  as  literally  true  in  the  case  pf  David. 

15 


170  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

A  man  exiled  by  his  king,  who  would  reward  with  his  royal  favour 
those  who  betrayed  him,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  8;  xxiii.  21,)  could  not  but 
become  the  reproach  of  those  whose  houses  he  used  to  frequent. 
Nor  does  the  fear  of  his  kindred  seem  strange,  since  their  connexion 
with  him  (especially  at  a  time  when  enmity  towards  an  individual 
became  transferred  upon  all  his  family)  was  no  doubt  fraught  with 
danger  to  them.  We  read  indeed  that  David,  in  order  to  secure 
the  safety  of  his  parents,  deemed  it  necessary  to  remove  them  to 
the  land  of  the  Moabites.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  3.)  It  was  even  true  that 
his  nearest  relatives  and  friends  had  forgotten  him  like  a  dead  man : 
he  could  no  longer  meet  with  Jonathan,  and  probably  saw  his  re- 
latives during  his  decennial  flight  on  that  one  occasion  only  when 
he  met  them  in  the  cave  of  Adullam.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  1.)  That  cave 
was  near  Bethlehem,  the  town  of  David's  tribe,  (cf.  the  locality  in 
the  narrative  2  Sam.  xxiii.  13,  etc.,}  and  he  seems  afterwards  not 
to  have  been  so  near  the  capital.  "  Fear  on  every  side"  was  expe- 
rienced by  David  more  than  any  one  else;  for  no  secret  nook  nor 
corner  of  the  country  was  too  remote  to  prevent  infuriated  Saul 
from  attempting  the  seizure  of  the  fugitive.  Add  to  all  this  his 
many  treacherous  and  false  friends. 

V.  15 — 19.  David's  faith  stands  the  test  in  the  midst  of  all  these 
temptations  of  outward  affliction :  he  neither  regards  the  number 
nor  the  strength  of  his  enemies,  but  looks  to  the  hand  of  God,  who 
distributes  the  fortunes  of  men.  So  the  believing  child  of  God, 
instead  of  settling  his  affairs  with  his  enemies,  commits  them  to 
God  from  his  closet,  and  while  they  deem  themselves  quite  secure, 
the  strength  of  his  prayers  arrays  Heaven  against  them. 

V.  20 — 22.  The  consideration  of  his  own  experience  of  the 
goodness  of  God,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  his  severe  trials,  leads 
him  to  break  forth  into  its  admiration.  His  heart  is  deeply  moved. 
He  speaks  of  the  goodness  of  God  in  general  toward  all  that  fear 
him,  because  he  knows  that  no  arbitrariness  comes  into  play,  but 
as  all  who  approach  the  sun  are,  irrespective  of  choice  or  favour, 
warmed  and  illumed  by  his  genial  beams,  so  the  goodness  of  God 
does  after  the  same  law  benefit  those  who  seek  and  fear  the  Lord. 
Many  who  repose  their  trust  in  God  are  by  the  fear  of  man  deterred 
from  honouring  him  before  men.  David  therefore  expressly  states, 
that  genuine  trust  in  Him  ought  always  to  be  accompanied  by  the 
confession  of  him  as  our  sole  helper,  before  all  men.  Significant 
are  the  terms  that  God  has  laid  up  that  goodness  for  the  pious,  and 
that  he  showeth  it  to  them;  meaning  that  God  reserves  more  good- 
ness by  far  than  he  shows.  The  Lord  has  his  festina  lente,  and 
the  choicest  of  his  favours  are  reserved  for  another  world.  (See  1 
Cor.  ii.  9.)  But  the  goodness  of  God  is  also  displayed  to  the  wicked, 
as  our  Lord  says  in  Matt.  v.  45,  and  even  the  brute  creation  shares 
in  it.  But  since  this  goodness  is  received  according  to  the  measure 
of  individual  susceptibility,  and  since  none  save  believers  possess 


PSALM  XXXII.  171 

the  susceptibility  for  the  spiritual  goods  of  God,  and  since,  more- 
over, none  can  be  truly  happy  with  earthly  gifts  and  possessions 
save  those  who  receive  and  use  them  in  the  right  manner,  David 
may  well  praise  the  peculiar  goodness  of  God  towards  his  children. 
From  the  fact  that  the  tabernacle  presented  an  asylum  to  fugitives, 
he  figuratively  states  that  the  pious  are  hid  in  the  pavilion  of  God, 
but  afterwards  changes  the  figure  and  compares  the  protection  of 
God  to  a  well-fortified  city. 

V.  23 — 25.  He  attempts  not  to  conceal  that  he  too  has  had  his 
weak  hours.  He  is  the  more  ready  to  make  this  humiliating  con- 
fession, because  it  sets  the  longsuffering  of  God  in  a  stronger 
light,  (who  remembers  that  his  saints  are  still  endued  with  flesh 
and  blood,)  and  leads  to  the  edifying  of  desponding  minds.  He 
turns  to  such  desponding  souls  with  the  express  exhortation  not  to 
get  languid  in  their  love  to  God,  nor  to  lose  courage  in  the  strug- 
gles which  are  appointed  for  them  by  transient  hours  of  doubt, 
nor  to  measure  their  power  of  resistance  by  their  own  resources, 
but  by  trusting  in  the  Lord  to  wait  for  his  assistance  and  support. 


PSALM  XXXII. 

A  PENITENTIAL  prayer  of  David,  apparently  referring  to  the  trans- 
gression to  which  Psalm  li.  alludes,  with  this  difference,  that  in 
Psalm  li.  there  seems  to  exist  a  mind  which  longs  for  forgiveness, 
and  here  one  which  has  realized  it  after  the  confession  of  sin.  It 
appears  therefore  that  Ps.  li.  was  composed  immediately  upon,  this 
some  time  after  David's  fall.  If  according  to  the  title  of  Ps.  li. 
David  composed  it  after  Nathan  came  to  him,  we  cannot  expect  it  to 
contain  sentiments  likely  to  have  occurred  immediately  after  his  fall, 
for  Nathan  did  not  meet  David  till  after  Bathsheba  had  given  birth 
to  a  child.  (2  Sam.  xii.  14.  Cf.  xi.  27.)  David  seems  therefore 
to  have  hesitated  with  the  confession  of  his  crime  for  an  entire 
year.  The  silence  before  God,  which  is  mentioned  in  verse  3, 
ought  in  this  case  to  be  referred  to  the  whole  extent  of  time  which 
preceded  that  event.  It  is  difficult  to  suppose  such  an  obduracy 
in  David,  although  the  historical  books  seem  to  indicate  as  much. 
Is  it  likely  that  David  should  have  entertained  a  moment's  mis- 
giving as  to  the  meaning  of  the  parable  of  Nathan  ?  Not  until 
plainly  accused  by  Nathan  did  the  king  as  if  awaking  from  the 
sleep  of  sin  exclaim,  "I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord."  There  is, 


172  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

however,  another  misgiving  besides  this.  In  Psalm  li.  David  has 
not  yet  received  forgiveness,  but  prays  for  it.  But  Nathan  pro- 
nounced the  consoling  sentence,  "  The  Lord  also  hath  put  away 
thy  sin/'  immediately  upon  David's  confession.  The  last  misgiv- 
ing is  certainly  not  very  important,  since  it  is  a  generally  acknow- 
ledged experience,  that  there  is  often  a  great  gulf  between  the 
objective  word  of  forgiveness,  presented  from  without,  and  its  sub- 
jective appropriation  by  man,  which  hesitating  conscience  is  unable 
to  bridge  without  great  struggles.  The  prophet  pronounced  for- 
giveness; but  it  was  a  different  thing  for  David  to  appropriate  and 
rejoice  in  it  before  the  Lord.  The  first  objection  requires  a  greater 
consideration.  It  is  very  strange  indeed  that  according  to  the 
title  of  Psalm  li.  and  the  historical  record  David  should  after  so 
great  a  fall  have  walked  before  God  in  a  state  of  impenitence. 
The  question  arises,  Will  not  in  the  case  of  such  a  man  confession 
and  repentance  have  immediately  succeeded  the  deed?  which 
deed? — adultery.  The  faithless  act  against  Uriah  succeeded  it. 
He  confesses  his  silence  before  God  in  verse  3.  Impenitence  in  a 
certain  sense  cannot  be  denied,  but  all  depends  upon  the  right  con- 
ception of  that  impenitence.  Nobody  will  believe  that  David, 
after  all  we  know  of  him,  should  like  other  transgressors  have — 
without  much  trouble — banished  that  transgression  from  his 
thoughts.  If  by  impenitence  is  meant  brutality  and  insensibility, 
we  emphatically  declare  that  he  did  not  remain  impenitent.  But 
let  it  once  be  clearly  seen  that  faith  is  a  necessary  ingredient  of 
true  repentance,  and  that  a  penitent  sinner  cannot  sincerely 
approach  God  in  prayer  without  some  trust  and  faith  in  him,  and 
it  will  be  equally  clear  that  there  is  another  kind  of  impenitence, 
devoid  not  so  much  of  the  compunctions  of  conscience  as  of  faith, 
when  terrified  conscience  is  thoroughly  alive  to  guilt,  and  just  on 
that  account  hesitates  to  confess  it  before  God.  We  cannot  con- 
ceive otherwise  of  the  state  of  David's  mind  at  that  time,  and 
verses  3,  4,  of  this  Psalm  furnish  the  most  striking  evidence  of  this 
view.  They  exhibit  a  struggle  of  conscience,  which  deprives  the 
impenitent  transgressor  of  rest  by  day  and  night,  the  scourge  of 
which  causes  flesh  and  bones  to  be  consumed — just  such  a  strug- 
gle as  we  should  presume  it  in  the  case  of  a  singer  of  psalms  like 
those  of  David.  However  incredible  it  may  appear  to  many,  that 
a  man  who  shrinks  from  confessing  his  sin  before  God,  should  pos- 
sess so  awakened  a  conscience  and  endure  so  much  grief  at  its 
compunctions — yet  they  who  are  acquainted  with  the  peculiar  phe- 
nomena of  psychical  life,  cannot  but  know  that  such  inward  condi- 
tions are  sure  to  follow  the  transgressions  of  seriously  minded 
people.  Just  because  the  holiness  and  love  of  God  are  not  mere 
empty  words  to  them,  but  because  they  have  practically  experi- 
enced the  marvellous  goodness  of  God,  it  comes  to  pass  that  their 


PSALM   XXXII.  173 

own  transgressions  appear  to  them  in  the  same  light  as  did  the 
crime  of  fratricide  to  Cain,  and  they  exclaim  with  him,  "Mine 
iniquity  is  greater  than  that  it  may  be  forgiven."  They  are  afraid 
of  the  countenance  of  God,  the  marvellous  loveliness  of  which  they 
have  so  often  experienced — and  they  would  much  rather  flee  from 
before  it.  They  have  the  presentiment  that  their  sin,  the  heinous- 
ness  of  which  terrifies  them  already,  if  meditated  upon  in  prayer  be- 
fore God,  will  assume  a  still  more  terrific  aspect :  owing  to  the  threat- 
enings  of  the  accuser  from  within,  they  venture  not  to  believe  that 
before  God  the  compunctive  power  of  their  consciences  will  be  sharp- 
ened, nor  that  they  will  be  pardoned.  They  prefer,  therefore, 
without  prayer,  their  eyes  turned  away  from  God,  to  pursue  their 
path  and  to  consume  their  grief — to  disclosing  it  before  God.  The 
circumstance  that  David  listened  to  Nathan's  parable  with  such 
apparent  insensibility,  ought  not  to  make  us  hesitate  in  the  assump- 
tion, that  such  was  the  case  with  David.  We  ought  to  consider 
that,  unless  Joab  had  violated  his  pledge  to  secrecy,  the  king's 
transgression  was  by  no  means  generally  known — that  more  than 
a  year  had  elapsed  before  Nathan  appeared  before  David — that 
Nathan  stated  his  parable  in  the  form  of  a  legal  case — and  that  its 
true  significance  could  only  be  surmised  on  the  supposition  that 
the  matter  was  generally  known,  and  that  Nathan  appeared  imme- 
diately after  its  occurrence  before  the  king.  The  condition  of 
David  is,  however,  not  to  be  regarded  exclusively  in  the  light  of 
reproaching  conscience.  We  may  assume  a  change  of  things, 
involving  moments  in  which  excuses  and  accusations  were  con- 
tending, as  Paul  describes,  (Rom.  ii.  15.)  Let  those  who  regard 
the  magnitude  of  his  transgression  as  unaccountable  remember,  that 
most  people  overlook  in  the  estimate  of  this  transgression  the  fact, 
that  however  terrific  the  fatality  may  have  been  in  this  instance, 
evil  always  engenders  evil,  and  that  he  who  has  fallen  once, 
is  by  the  force  of  circumstances  ever  propelled  to  new  transgres- 
sions. David  had  originally  no  intention  to  deprive  Uriah  of  his 
wife,  his  sole  aim  being  to  conceal  his  own  sin,  as  is  intimated  in 
2  Sam.  xi.  9 — 13.  David  did  not  write  his  letter  to  Joab  until 
his  cunning  device  had  proved  a  failure.  He  still  listens  to  the 
voice  of  conscience — cannot  persuade  himself  to  assassination,  but 
adopts  a  measure  of  ridding  himself  of  his  servant,  which  sug- 
gested a  variety  of  thoughts  which  tended  to  excuse  his  conduct 
and  to  appease  his  protesting  conscience :  e.  g.  that  in  every  war 
many  must  fall — that  if  Uriah  should  be  killed,  he  would  at  least 
fall  like  a  hero  and  as  a  defender  of  the  kingdom.  Let  no  one 
condemn  David  until  he  has  judged  himself  and  answered  the 
candid  question,  Whether  in  no  relation  of  his  life  one  sin  has  not 
led  him  to  the  commission  of  a  second  or  a  third,  and  he  has  not 
sought  by  excuses  of  a  similar  kind  to  silence  the  voice  of  his  con- 
science. 

15* 


COMMENTARY   ON    THE   PSALMS. 

PSALM  of  David,  giving  instruction.* 

Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 
Whose  sin  ^covered. 

2  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  LORD  imputeth  not 

iniquity, 
And  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile. 

3  When  I  kept  silence  my  bones  waxed  old. 
Through  my  roaring  all  the  day  long. 

4  For  day  and  night  thy  hand  was  heavy  upon  me : 

My  moisture  is  turned  into  the  drought  of  summer.    Selah. 

5  Therefore  I  acknowledge  my  sin  unto  thee, 
And  mine  iniquity  do  I  not  hide: 

I  said,  "  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  LORD  ;" 
And  thou  forgavest  the  guilt  of  my  sin.     Selah. 

6  For  this  shall  every  one  that  is  godly  pray  unto  thee 
In  a  time  when  thou  mayest  be  found : 

Surely  the  floods  of  great  waters, 
They  shall  not  come  nigh  unto  him. 

7  Thou  art  my  hiding  place ; 

Thou  shalt  preserve  me  from  trouble; 
Thou  shalt  compass  me  about  with  songs  of  deliverance. 
Selah. 

8  "I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  which 

thou  shalt  go: 
I  will  guide  thee  with  mine  eye/' 

9  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse, 

Or  as  the  mule,  which  have  no  understanding: 
Whose  mouth  must  be  held  in  with  bit  and  bridle, 
Which  will  not  come  near  unto  thee  (of  themselves.) 

10  Many  sorrows  (or  pains)  shall  be  to  the  wicked: 

But  he  that  trusteth  in  the  LORD,  mercy  shall  compass 
him  about. 

11  Be  glad  in  the  LORD,  and  rejoice,  ye  righteous: 
And  shout  for  joy,  all  ye  that  are  upright  in  heart. 

V.  1,  2.  David  utters  these  words  as  if  he  had  got  breath  again 
after  an  overwhelming  oppression  of  his  soul,  and  speaks  of  his 
own  experience  as  if  it  were  the  experience  of  every  one.  The 
words  of  Nathan,  "  The  Lord  also  hath  put  away  thy  sin,"  were,  as 
appears  from  Psalm  li.  not  sufficient  to  give  him  peace.  There  are 

*  Or,  "A  Poem." 


PSALM  XXXII.  175 

many  passages  in  the  Scriptures  which,  if  the  Holy  Ghost  were 
simultaneously  to  write  them  into  our  hearts,  would  at  once  stop 
our  struggles  and  banish  our  griefs.  The  fight  of  faith  which  lasts 
all  our  life  long  consists  first  in  this,  that  the  words  of  the  Bible 
are  by  the  struggle  of  faith  in  our  souls  to  be  transcribed  into  the 
book  of  our  hearts.  As  Luther  has  it,  "The  great  secret  of  Chris- 
tian faith  consists  in  the  little  words:  './,  for  me,  and  me.'"  Joy 
did  not  return  until  the  Holy  Ghost  had  borne  witness  in  the  heart 
of  David  to  the  words  of  Nathan.  His  expression  of  joy  is  accom- 
panied by  the  condition  on  which  alone  joy  can  be  attained.  He 
says,  "In  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile/'  i.  e.  deceit.  The  dis- 
cord of  the  soul  can  never  be  removed  while  the  deceit  of  self-excuse 
and  self-righteousness  continues. 

V.  3,  4.  Rarely,  if  ever,  have  human  words  expressed  the 
struggle  of  conscience  in  language  so  profoundly  touching  as  here. 
His  fevered  soul  lacked  the  all-potent  cordial,  "Thy  sins  are  for- 
given thee :"  its  absence  caused  his  body  to  pine  and  wither  away. 
His  excuses  of  self  distilled  like  separate  drops  upon  his  burning 
conscience,  which  immediately  dissolved  them  into  vapour.  He 
sometimes  sought  to  justify  himself,  and  tried  to  convince  himself 
that  there  was  no  ground  for  his  grievous  complaint,  and  sometimes 
thought  that  his  wounds  were  incurable. 

V.  5.  The  internal  discord  having  reached  its  climax,  pressed 
out  at  last  the  blissful  confession.  The  brief  antithesis,  "I  said,  I 
will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord — and  thou  forgavest 
the  guilt  of  my  sin/'  expresses  in  a  pleasing  and  touching  manner 
the  facility  afforded  to  sinful  man  in  his  inward  struggles,  provided 
he  be  able  and  willing  to  confess  and  to  believe. 

F  6,  7.  He  affirms  his  own  experience  as  the  universal  lot  of 
the  godly.  They  embrace  the  moment  when  salvation  is  still 
nigh,  ere  the  floods  of  judgment  come  which  sweep  the  hardened 
sinner  away.  The  inward  struggle  must  issue  in  the  sinner's  turn- 
ing to  God,  and  his  hoping  for  aid  by  his  mercy :  if  it  does  not, 
his  end  will  be  like  that  of  Judas,  who  though  not  without  peni- 
tence, (Matt,  xxvii.  3,)  but  lacking  the  ability  and  willingness  to 
acknowledge  his  sin  and  to  believe  in  God,  went  and  hanged  him- 
self. Having  for  a  year  been  without  God — and  therefore  without 
protection — David  once  more  feels  himself  in  the  hiding-place. 
This  conviction  renders  him  so  happy,  that  he  hears,  as  it  were,  the 
voice  of  God  himself,  cheering  him  with  paternal  friendliness. 

F  8.  The  latter  clause  of  this  verse,  "  I  will  guide  thee  with 
mine  eye/'  shows  that  the  verse  itself  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a 
promise  which  David  addresses  to  sinners,  but  rather  as  an  oracular 
expression,  as  they  occur  in  several  other  psalms,  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  xl.  4; 
xii.  6.)  It  is  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  who  from  the  inmost  cham- 
bers of  the  soul,  as  if  from  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  addresses  his 
words  of  comfort  and  encouragement  to  sinners. 


176  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

F.  9.  David  now  addresses  the  servants  of  sin  who  refuse  to 
turn  unto  the  Lord,  until  he  causes  them  to  feel  his  hands,  and 
holds  them  in  with  bit  and  bridle.  Beasts — such  is  the  Psalmist's 
meaning — have  no  understanding,  and  on  that  account  need  the 
bit  and  bridle  from  without,  to  be  managed ;  but  man,  to  whom 
God  has  given  his  Spirit,  should  govern  and  tame  himself  from 
within.  Shame  upon  him  who,  having  received  the  Divine  spark, 
instead  of  being  impelled  from  within,  needs  chastisement  from 
without  to  lead  him  to  his  Lord  and  God ! 

F.  10,  11.  David  describes  the  great  foolishness  of  those  who 
look  for  happiness  and  joy  anywhere  and  everywhere  except  in 
God:  man,  forgetful  of  God,  chases  after  happiness  and  joy, 
ignoring  all  the  while  that  in  turning  from  God  he  only  increases 
his  sorrow  and  pain.  "  Only  he  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  mercy 
shall  compass  him  about."  David  has  just  realized  once  more  this 
blessed  truth,  so  blessed  that  he  must  needs  invite  every  one  to 
become  the  sharer  of  his  felicity. 


PSALM  XXXIII. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  celebrating  in  lively  and  joyous  measures  the 
Creator  and  Governor  of  the  world,  who  has  chosen  Israel  for  his 
peculiar  possession,  and  imparts  his  peculiar  favour  to  those  who 
fear  him. 

The  Psalmist  utters  a  powerful  and  joyous  invitation  to  the  praise 
of  God,  (v.  1 — 3 :)  he  celebrates  his  omnipotence  as  the  omnipo- 
tence of  righteousness  and  love,  (v.  4 — 11,)  and  glories  in  Israel's 
enjoying  the  peculiar  protection  of  that  God.  It  must  be  secure 
under  such  a  protection,  for  everything  that  is  and  takes  place  on 
earth  is  mysteriously  connected  with  his  hand,  while  all  earthly 
strength  is  derived  from  him,  (v.  12 — 17.)  They  who  fear  him 
shall  experience  his  power.  This  thought  expands  into  the  same 
exultation  with  which  this  psalm  begins. 

1  "OEJOICE  in  the  LORD,  0  ye  righteous: 
-It  For  praise  is  comely  for  the  upright. 

2  Praise  the  LORD  with  harp : 

Sing  unto  him  with  the  psaltery  and  an  instrument  of 
ten  strings. 

3  Sing  unto  him  a  new  song; 

Play  skilfully  with  trumpet  sound. 


PSALM  XXXIII.  177 

4  For  the  word  of  the  LORD  is  right ; 

And  all  his  doings  are  done  in  faithfulness. 

5  He  loveth  righteousnes  and  judgment : 

The  earth  is  full  of  the  goodness  of  the  LORD. 

6  By  the  word  of  the  LORD  were  the  heavens  made ; 
And  all  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  his  mouth. 

7  He  gathereth  the  waters  of  the  sea  together  as  an  heap : 
He  layeth  up  the  depth  in  storehouses. 

8  Let  all  the  earth  fear  the  LORD  : 

Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  stand  in  awe  of  him. 

9  For  he  spake,  and  it  was  done ; 
He  commanded,  and  it  stood  fast. 

10  The  LORD  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to  nought : 
He  maketh  the  devices  of  the  people  of  none  effect. 

11  The  counsel  of  the  LORD  standeth  for  ever, 
The  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  generations. 

12  Blessed  is  the  nation  whose  God  is  the  LORD  ; 

And  the  people   whom  he  hath  chosen  for  his   own 
inheritance. 

13  The  LORD  looketh  from  heaven ; 
He  beholdeth  all  the  sons  of  men. 

14  From  his  firm  throne 

He  looketh  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

15  He  leadeth  their  hearts  alike ; 
He  considereth  all  their  works. 

16  There  is  no  king  saved  by  the  multitude  of  an  host : 
A  mighty  man  is  not  delivered  by  much  strength. 

17  An  horse  is  a  vain  thing  for  safety : 

Neither  shall  any  be  delivered  by  their  (the  horses') 
great  strength. 

18  Behold  the  eye  of  the  LORD  is  upon  them  that  fear  him, 
Upon  them  that  hope  in  his  mercy; 

19  To  deliver  their  soul  from  death, 
And  to  keep  them  alive  in  famine. 

20  Our  soul  waiteth  for  the  LORD  : 
He  is  our  help  and  our  shield. 

21  For  our  heart  shall  rejoice  in  him, 
Because  we  have  trusted  in  his  holy  name. 

22  Let  thy  mercy,  0  LORD,  be  upon  us, 
According  as  we  hope  in  thee. 

V.  1 — 3.     The  Psalmist  invites  the  righteous  and  the  upright 
in  heart  to  praise  the  Lord,  because  none  but  they  know  how  to  do 


178  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

it  aright.  The  melody  of  the  voice  without  the  melody  of  the  heart 
cannot  please  the  Lord.  Such  is  the  praise  of  the  ungodly.  The 
pious  only  can  praise  him  in  truth,  for  they  only  rejoice  in  his  pro- 
mises, and  appreciate  his  omnipotence  and  goodness.  The  bard, 
feeling  that  the  heart  and  the  senses  are  too  slow  and  lifeless  for 
setting  forth  the  praises  due  to  God,  calls  the  sound  of  the  harp  to 
his  aid,  to  arouse  the  indolent  spirits,  and  to  give  pinions  to  his 
praises.  He  calls  for  a  new  (Ps.  xl.  4;  xcvi.  1)  song — as  if  all  the 
former  ones  were  not  sufficient.  Because  human  praises  are  at  the 
best  unworthy,  the  nations  of  antiquity  as  well  as  Israel  used  to 
accompany  them  by  sacrifices,  intending  thereby  as  it  were  to 
complete  and  make  up  for  the  deficiency  and  poverty  of  human 
praise.  The  mention  of  the  trumpet  alludes  to  those  sacrifices,  as 
sacrifices  used  to  be  offered  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet. 

F.  4,  5.  The  first  object  of  praise  is  that  God  fulfils  his  pro- 
mises. Surely  there  cannot  be  anything  more  joyful  to  a  pious 
man  than  to  see  that  the  divers  glorious  promises  of  God  are  for 
ever  being  fulfilled  in  the  guidance  of  men  in  obedience  to  laws  as 
unchangeable  as  those  which  direct  the  courses  of  the  heavenly 
bodies.  If  we  shall  hereafter  review  the  guidances  of  his  people 
from  eternity,  may  they  not,  to  use  the  expression,  seem  like  so 
many  incarnations  of  the  eternal  word  and  the  eternal  promises  of 
God?  We  shall  then  see,  what  the  Psalmist  here  praises  in  faith — 
that  all  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  righteousness  and  goodness. 
The  full  glory  of  these  attributes  is  not  felt  till  we  realize  them  as 
the  attributes  of  the  omnipotence  of  God :  what  would  be  the  con- 
dition of  us,  the  creatures,  were  his  omnipotence  other  than  the 
omnipotence  of  righteousness  and  love?  For  this  reason  the 
Psalmist  praises  in  the  following  verses  the  omnipotence  of  God. 

F.  6 — 9.  How  much  toil  and  labour  intervenes  between  the 
resolution  and  completion  of  our  works  ?  With  God  the  word,  the 
breath  of  his  mouth,  and  the  commandment,  are  at  once  the 
deed.*  Thus  he  formed  the  heavens  and  their  host.  Nothing 
greater  could  be  predicated  of  the  omnipotence  of  God:  the 
Psalmist  singles  out  one  miracle  of  omnipotence  which  strikingly 
exhibits  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the  Creator.  Though  the 
waters  of  the  ocean  are  higher  than  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  secret 
hand  of  Omnipotence  keeps  them  back  that  they  dare  not  flood  the 
land.  "  Will  ye  not  tremble  at  my  presence,  saith  the  Lord,  which 
have  placed  the  sand  for  the  bound  of  the  sea  by  a  perpetual 
decree,  that  it  cannot  pass  it :  and  though  the  waves  thereof  toss 
themselves,  yet  cannot  they  prevail;  though  they  roar,  yet  can 
they  not  pass  over  it  ?"  ( Jer.  v.  22 ;  cf.  Psalm  xxiv.  2 ;  civ.  9 ;  Job 

*  The  heathen  poet,  Longinus,  has  praised  the  sublimity  of  this  sentiment 
of  the  Psalmist. 


PSALM   XXXIII.  179 

xxxviii.  8.)  Again,  the  womb  of  the  earth  conceals  subterraneous 
floods;  these  would  devour  the  face  of  the  earth  and  all  on  it,  if 
the  hand  of  Omnipotence  did  not  hold  them  back  so  that  they  must 
remain  in  the  depth.  Who  does  not  fear  and  tremble  before  a  God 
like  this  ?  But  they  who  can  believe  that  this  omnipotence  is  the 
omnipotence  of  love,  burst  forth  the  rather  in  exultant  joy. 

F  10—12.  Israel  is  entitled  to  that  belief— the  belief  that  the 
omnipotence  of  God  is  that  of  love,  for  the  Lord  has  chosen  Israel 
for  his  own  inheritance.  What  an  election!  His  thoughts  are 
eternal  thoughts  of  grace  which  no  power  can  annul.  (Rom.  xi.  29.) 
This  is  the  consolation  of  the  Church  of  God  in  sight  of  her  ene- 
mies. In  the  days  of  the  Old  Testament,  when  the  Church  was  a 
temporal  kingdom,  like  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  her  enemies 
were  the  heathen  in  their  dominions;  her  enemies  now  are  the  ene- 
mies of  Christ :  the  servants  of  Christ  get  edified  by  these  promises 
that  the  merciful  counsel  of  God  cannot  be  overthrown,  and  that 
he  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to  nought.  Though 
scanned  with  the  eye  of  sense,  there  never  was  a  little  band  that 
had  so  little  hope  to  prevail  over  their  enemies,  as  the  small  band 
of  Christians  against  whom  the  whole  world  stands  in  battle  array; 
but  with  regard  to  the  eternal  counsel  of  mercy  which  God  has 
decreed  concerning  his  people,  they  entertain  not  a  moment's  doubt 
as  to  their  ultimate  success. 

F  13 — 17.  People  of  God,  he  means  to  say,  let  not  the  world 
persuade  you  that  the  throne  on  which  your  king  is  seated  is  an 
idle  easy  chair;  no,  he  is  seated  on  a  throne,  on  a  judgment-seat, 
from  the  lofty  eminence  of  which  proceed  the  destinies  of  the 
world.  People  of  God,  he  means  to  say,  firmly  believe,  that  all 
things  are  either  openly  or  in  a  hidden  manner  subject  to  the  influ- 
ence of  his  might;  not  only  the  works  of  men,  which  are  evidently 
so,  since  the  issue  never  rests  with  them,  but  also  the  secret  mov- 
ings  of  their  hearts,  which  God  can  strike  with  blindness,  and  can 
make  foolish  the  understanding  of  the  prudent,  and  wise  the  hearts 
of  babes.  People  of  God,  believe  not  in  appearances  according  to 
which  kings  conquer  by  their  might  and  warriors  triumph  in  battle 
by  the  strength  of  their  horses :  it  is  appearance  only,  for  as  all 
earthly  power  is  borrowed  from  the  Governor  of  the  world,  he  may 
withdraw  it  at  any  time  and  give  it  to  whomsoever  he  pleases  :  so 
that  all  the  victories  on  earth  are  won  by  his  strength. 

V.  18 — 22.  While  such  omnipotence  terrifies  those  who  fear 
not  the  Lord,  it  is  rich  in  consolation  to  those  who  hope  in  his 
mercy.  The  whole  people  commit  themselves  to  the  Lord,  rejoic- 
ing in  him  and  trusting  in  his  name. 


180  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XXXIV. 

A  SONG  of  thanksgiving,  composed  on  the  same  occasion  (1  Sam. 
xxi.  11,  etc.")  as  Psalm  Ivi.  with  this  difference,  that  Psalm  Ivi.  was 
composed  in  the  midst  of  the  danger  which  threatened  David,  when 
the  courtiers  of  Achish  the  king  of  the  Philistines,  with  whom  he 
had  taken  refuge,  were  persecuting  him,  while  the  psalm  before  us 
was  composed  after  he  had  escaped  from  that  danger.  Though  we 
owe  our  most  beautiful  spiritual  songs  or  hymns  to  special  circum- 
stances, they  treat  not  of  these,  but  alternately  mount  to  universal 
complaints  or  to  universal  praises  of  God.  So  the  Psalmist  praises 
not  so  much  his  special  deliverance,  as  the  mercy  of  God,  who 
hears  the  cry  of  the  afflicted.  The  title  names  Abimelech  and  not 
Achish;  which  may  be  explained  on  the  presumption  that  Abime- 
lech (i.  e.  father  of  kings)  was  a  general  title  of  the  Philistine 
kings,  as  was  Pharaoh  (i.  e.  the  king)  of  the  Egyptian.  In  Gen. 
xx.  2;  xxvi.  1,  two  different  kings  of  Gerar,  the  Philistine  capital, 
are  called  Abimelech. 

Filled  with  gratitude,  the  Psalmist  promises  to  make  the  praise 
of  God  the  business  of  his  life,  because  he  hears  the  prayers  of  the 
afflicted,  (v.  2 — 8.)  He  also  calls  upon  others  to  open  their  eyes 
and  hearts  because  the  goodness  of  God  is  everywhere  manifest, 
and  annexes  the  condition  on  which  alone  it  can  be  experienced, 
(v.  9 — 11.)  The  indispensable  condition  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
which  he  earnestly  and  affectionately  recommends  from  verses 
12 — 23,  and  to  which  his  assurance  of  faith  ascribes  glorious  pro- 
mises. 

1  A    PSALM  of  David,  when  he  changed  his  behaviour 
JLJL       before  Abimelech :  who  drove  him  away,  and  he 

departed. 

2  I  will  bless  the  LORD  at  all  times : 

His  praise  shall  continually  be  in  my  mouth. 

3  My  soul  shall  make  her  boast  in  the  LORD  : 
The  afflicted  shall  hear  thereof  and  be  glad. 

4  0  magnify  the  LORD  with  me, 
And  let  us  exalt  his  name  together. 

5  I  sought  the  LORD,  and  he  heard  me, 
And  delivered  me  from  all  my  fears. 

6  They  that  look  unto  him,  get  lightened: 
And  their  faces  are  not  ashamed. 

7  This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  LORD  heard  him, 
And  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  181 

8  The  angel  of  the  LORD  encampeth  round  about  them 

that  fear  him, 
And  delivereth  them. 

9  0  taste  and  see  that  the  LORD  is  good : 
Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  him. 

10  0  fear  the  LORD,  ye  his  saints : 

For  there  is  no  want  to  them  that  fear  him. 

11  The  young  lions  do  lack,  and  suffer  hunger : 

But  they  that  seek  the  LORD  shall  not  want  any  good 
thing. 

12  Come,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me : 
I  will  teach  you  the  fear  of  the  LORD. 

13  What  man  is  he  that  desireth  a  happy  life 
And  loveth  many  days,  that  he  may  see  good? 

14  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil, 
And  thy  lips  from  speaking  guile. 

15  Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good; 
Seek  peace,*  and  pursue  it. 

16  The  eyes  of  the  LORD  are  upon  the  righteous, 
And  his  ears  are  open  unto  their  cry. 

17  The  face  of  the  LORD  is  against  them  that  do  evil, 
To  cut  off  the  remembrance  of  them  from  the  earth. 

18  The  righteous  cry,  and  the  LORD  heareth, 
And  delivereth  them  out  of  all  their  troubles. 

19  The  LORD  is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart ; 
And  saveth  such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit. 

20  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous: 
But  the  LORD  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all. 

21  He  keepeth  all  his  bones : 
Not  one  of  them  is  broken. 

22  Evil  shall  slay  the  wicked: 

And  they  that  hate  the  righteous  shall  be  guilty. 

23  The  LORD  redeemeth  the  soul  of  his  servants: 

And  none  of  them  that  trust  in  him  shall  be  guilty,  f 

V.  2 — 4.  Every  day  of  a  pious  man's  life  is  marked  with  the 
monuments  and  tokens  of  the  mercy  of  God,  so  that  he  has  every 
day  to  sing  a  new  song.  But  each  separate  experience  of  that 
kind  should  fill  our  heart  to  such  a  degree  as  to  furnish  the  theme 
of  gratitude  and  praise  for  the  entire  period  of  our  lives.  With  a 
feeling  of  this  kind,  we  see  David  celebrate  the  deliverance  he  has 
just  experienced.  He  realizes  the  fact  that  many  hearts  will  echo 

*  /.  e.  honesty,  "good;"  cf.  Ps.  xxxv.  20;  xxxvii.  37,  in  the  Hebrew, 
f  Cf.  Introduction  to  Psalm  xiv. 
16 


182  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

back  his  songs  of  praise,  because  the  joys  of  the  godly  are  always 
universal.  He  invites  the  sharers  of  his  feelings  not  to  keep  them 
within  their  joyful  hearts,  but  to  blend  their  praises  with  his, 
because  songs  of  praise  rise  more  triumphantly  to  heaven  as  bright 
flames  than  as  isolated  sparks. 

F.  5 — 8.  He  was  no  doubt  greatly  afraid.  What  fate  could 
he  expect  to  meet  were  he  delivered  into  the  hand  of  Achish  ? 
The  alternative  was,  that  he,  as  a  national  foe,  who  had  slain 
Goliath  and  actually  carried  his  sword  during  this  flight,  (1  Sam. 
xxi.  9,)  would  either  be  sacrificed  to  the  vengeance  of  the  Philis- 
tines, or  ignominiously  delivered  into  the  hand  of  Saul,  his  enemy. 
This  poor  man  cried  unto  the  Lord,  who  heard  him,  and  delivered 
him  out  of  all  his  troubles.  He  therefore  calls  upon  all,  when 
reduced  to  the  extremity  of  trouble,  neither  to  turn  to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left,  but  to  Him  who  is  all-sufficient.  We  often  fear 
that  we  are  forsaken — but  not  so.  He  surrounds  us  with  his  Divine 
messengers,  as  with  an  invisible  host :  and  while  we  look  anxiously 
for  help  on  earth,  they  fight  our  battles.  If  our  eyes  were  opened 
like  those  of  Elisha's  young  man,  we  should  frequently,  when  we 
are  most  inclined  to  despair,  see  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round 
about  us.  (2  Kings  vi.  17.)* 

F.  9 — 11.  Heaven  and  earth  are  replete  with  the  goodness  of 
God.  We  omit  to  open  our  mouths  and  eyes,  on  which  account 
the  Psalmist  desires  us  to  taste  and  to  see.  Such  an  invitation  would 
be  unavailing  to  the  ungodly,  to  whom  if  they  persist  in  their 
obduracy  even  the  best  gifts  are  fraught  with  destruction,  and  to 
whom  rays  of  light  turn  into  consuming  flashes  of  lightning.  He 
therefore  addresses  himself  to  the  saints,  who  in  virtue  of  their  ex- 
ercised senses  (Heb.  v.  11,)  are  able  to  see  the  hidden  sweet  in  the 
bitter,  and  the  bow  of  peace  above  the  darkened  cloud.  "They 
have  no  want/'  means  not  exemption  from  the  common  lot  of  mor- 
tals, as  is  clear  from  verse  20,  where  it  is  said  that  "  many  are  the 
afflictions  of  the  righteous/'  But  if  blessings  attend  us  like  those 
which  David  affirms  himself  to  enjoy  in  Psalm  xxiii.  5,  that  in 
sight  of  his  enemies  he  is  seated  at  a  full  table  with  anointed  head 
— we  must  be  silent  about  want.  We  shall  feel  no  want  though 
we  be  in  want.  The  possession  of  power  and  strength  cannot  of 
itself  secure  satisfaction  and  prosperity.  The  lion,  armed  with 
mouth  and  claws,  has  often  to  suffer  hunger,  while  helpless  and 
afflicted  men,  whose  only  refuge  is  the  Lord,  have  enough  and  to 
spare. 

*  One  angel  of  the  Lord  is  mentioned,  who  at  the  same  time  is  said  to 
encamp  round  about.  This  seems  to  indicate  that  the  word  "angel"  which 
primarily  means  "  a  message  from  God,"  denotes  here  as  well  as  in  many 
other  passages  of  the  Old  Testament,  not  one  separate  angel,  but  the  efflu- 
ence of  Divine  strength.  Cf.  Sack.  Comm.  Theol.  p.  19,  v.  Ccelln.  Bibl. 
Theol.  vol.  i.  p.  191. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  183 

V.  12 — 19.  Most  men  consider  untruth,  fraud,  and  oppression, 
the  surest  means  of  prosperity.  This  leads  David  most  urgently  to 
exhort  them  to  regard  the  fear  of  the  Lord  as  the  true  source  of 
temporal  prosperity.  To  rouse  the  indolent,  he  clothes  his  exhorta- 
tion in  the  form  of  a  question,  "What  man  is  he  that  desireth  a 
happy  life?"  as  if  he  had  asked,  How  is  it,  that,  while  every  one 
without  exception  desires  to  be  happy,  there  are  so  few  who  adopt 
the  proper  means  for  the  attainment  of  happiness,  but  on  the  con- 
trary make  themselves  wretched  and  miserable  by  their  own  mis- 
takes ?  He  names  two  things,  which,  though  they  may  sometimes 
fail,  will  in  most  instances  tell  upon  men,  and  lay  a  solid  founda- 
tion to  their  temporal  prosperity.  Firstly,  let  none  imagine  that 
crooked  ways  and  falsehood  are  the  royal  roads  to  prosperity,  for 
even  in  a  spiritual  sense  the  straight  way  is  always  the  shortest. 
Secondly,  to  confound  all  evil  backbiting  by  the  practice  of  good 
works.  However  much  enmity  against  Gk)d  may  influence  the 
wicked  against  the  good  qualities  of  the  godly,  there  will  always  be 
a  class  of  men,  who  find  it  impossible  so  effectually  to  silence  the 
judge  from  within,  that  they  should  desire  to  acknowledge  the 
merit  of  these,  who  with  firm  perseverance  and  strict  conscientious- 
ness are  bent  upon  the  pursuit  of  righteousness  and  virtue.  Much 
time  may  be  needed  till  such  acknowledgment  be  forthcoming,  and 
in  the  case  of  thousands  be  looked  for  in  vain;  David  therefore 
once  more  regards  the  righteous  in  affliction,  and  comforts  us  by 
saying,  that  the  Lord  at  least  does  not  ignore  a  pure  and  true  life, 
that  his  eyes  look  upon  his  servants,  that  his  ears  are  open  to  their 
cry,  and  that  though  not  exempt  from  troubles  and  affliction,  his 
deliverance  is  sure  to  come. 

7.  20—23.  "Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous:"  this 
might  at  first  sight  seem  contradictory  of  verses  10,  11;  but 
we  should  remember  that  the  pious  often  lack  that  purity  and 
irreprehensibility  of  conduct,  which  compels  the  esteem  of  the 
world ;  the  difficulty  of  attaining  it,  and  that  even  after  it  has  been 
attained  we  are  utterly  unable  to  impress  the  consciences  of  the  tho- 
roughly obdurate.  The  truth  must  then  stand  that  "  many  are  the 
the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,"  or  as  the  New  Testament  expresses 
it,  "It  behoves  us  through  much  tribulation  to  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  G-od."  And  it  is  a  good  thing  that  such  is  the  case.  For 
were  the  pious  freed  from  every  trouble  and  affliction,  motives  to 
piety  would  become  impure,  faith  would  grow  faint,  prayer  cease, 
and  carnal  security  abound.  The  Psalmist  comforts  us  that  the 
afflictions  of  the  righteous  are  under  a  powerful  protection.  The 
Lord  has  said  that  the  hairs  of  our  head  are  numbered :  so  we  are 
told  here  that  not  the  smallest  bone  of  the  godly  can  be  hurt  with- 
out his  permission.  (Psalm  xxxv.  10.)  But  guilt  shall  not  leave 
the  wicked,  for  it  cannot  be  forgiven  until  it  be  confessed,  repented 
of,  and  covered  by  faith. 


184  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XXXV. 

WE  are  familiar  with  the  position  of  the  Psalmist.  Secret  perse- 
cution, (v.  7,  8,)  and  false  accusations,  (v.  11,)  were  met  by  a 
peaceful  and  forgiving  disposition  on  his  part,  (v.  12,  13.)  Cf. 
Introduction  to  Psalm  vii.  Other  circumstances  are  in  harmony 
with  the  situation  of  David.  The  bard  refers  to  himself  in  v.  27, 
as  to  a  man  noticed  by  many.  Verse  16  may  suggest  the  courtly 
banquet  of  the  king :  David  uses  words  similar  to  v.  1 — 3  in  1  Sam. 
xxiv.  16.  The  urgency  of  the  request,  and  the  manner  in  which 
danger  and  trouble  are  introduced,  seem  to  cope  better  with  the 
period  of  Saul's  persecution  than  with  that  of  David's  residence  at 
his  court. 

F.  1 — 10  state  the  theme  of  the  Psalmist — a  mighty  cry  for 
help  and  a  solemn  vow  of  gratitude :  v.  11 — 16,  he  shows  the  justice 
of  his  cause  as  contrasted  with  that  of  his  persecutors,  who  proved 
themselves  insensible  to  his  proofs  of  tender  sympathy,  and  requited 
his  sympathy  in  their  suffering  with  malevolent  joy  at  his  own. 
Having  stated  before  the  throne  of  God's  justice  this  by  no  means 
unimportant  point  in  his  case,  he  renews  his  supplication,  (v.  17,) 
and  concludes  with  a  new  vow  of  heartfelt  gratitude,  (v.  25.) 


A 


PSALM  of  David. 


1  Plead  my  cause,  0  LORD,  with  them  that  strive  with  me : 
Fight  against  them  that  fight  against  me. 

2  Take  hold  of  shield  and  buckler,* 
And  stand  up  for  mine  help. 

3  Draw  out  also  the  spear, 

And  stop  the  way  against  them  that  persecute  me ; 
Say  unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation. 

4  Let  them  be  confounded  and  put  to  shame 
That  seek  after  my  soul : 

Let  them  be  turned  back  and  brought  to  confusion 
That  devise  my  hurt. 

5  Let  them  be  as  chaff  before  the  wind : 
And  let  the  angel  of  the  LORD  chase  them. 

6  Let  their  way  be  dark  and  slippery : 

And  let  the  angel  of  the  LORD  persecute  them. 

7  For  without  cause  have  they  hid  for  me  their  net  in  a  pit,f 
Which  without  cause  they  have  digged  for  my  soul. 

*  /.  e.  a  large  shield  which  covers  the  whole  body. 

f  Travellers  mention  pits  which  are  dug  to  catch  lions  alive,  covered  on 
the  top  with  boughs  and  canes,  (Shaw's  Travels  in  North  Africa,  p.  153.) 
But  these  seem  to  have  been  pits  in  which  nets  were  placed.  Verse  8 
renders  this  view  necessary. 


PSALM  XXXV.  185 

8  Let  destruction  come  upon  them  at  unawares ; 
And  let  the  net,  that  they  have  hid,  catch  them. 
Into  that  very  destruction  let  them  fall. 

9  But  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  the  LORD: 
It  shall  rejoice  in  his  salvation. 

10  All  my  bones  shall  say, 
LORD,  who  is  like  unto  thee, 

Which  deliverest  the  afflicted  from  him  that  is  too  strong 

for  him, 
Yea,  the  afflicted  and  the  needy  from  him  that  spoileth 

them? 

11  False  witnesses  did  rise  up ; 

They  laid  to  my  charge  things  that  I  knew  not. 

12  They  rewarded  me  evil  for  good, 
My  soul  is  orphaned. 

13  But  as  for  me, 

When  they  were  sick,  my  clothing  was  sackcloth: 

I  afflicted  my  soul  with  fasting. 

And  my  prayer  returned  into  mine  own  bosom.* 

14  I  behaved  myself  as  though  he  had  been  my  friend  or 

brother. 
I  bowed  down  heavily,  as  one  that  mourneth/br  his  mother. 

15  But  in  mine  adversity  they  rejoiced,  and  gathered  them- 

selves together: 
Yea,  the  abjects  gathered  themselves  together  against  me, 

and  I  knew  not  for  what: 
They  did  tear  me,  and  ceased  not : 

16  With  hypocritical  mockers  in  feasts,  f 
They  gnashed  upon  me  with  their  teeth. 

17  LORD,  how  long  wilt  thou  look  on  ? 
Rescue  my  soul  from  their  destructions, 
My  life  from  the  lions. 

18  I  will  give  thee  thanks  in  the  great  congregation : 
I  will  praise  thee  among  much  people. 

19  Let  not  them  that  are  mine  enemies  wrongfully  rejoice 

over  me: 

Neither  let  them  wink  with  the  eye  that  hate  me  without 
a  cause. 

*  /.  e.  when  he  who  prayed,  as  it  happened  in  cases  in  deep  distress,  fell 
on  his  knees  and  inclined  his  head  to  the  ground,  (1  Kings  xviii.  42.) 

f  Or,  "With  mocking  gluttons,"  or,  "like  gourmands"  (cf.  Job  xxxiv.  36, 
in  the  original;)  or,  "quizzing  epicures." 

16* 


186  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

20  For  they  speak  not  peace : 

But  they  devise  deceitful  matters  against  them  that  are 
quiet  in  the  land. 

21  Yea,  they  open  their  mouth  wide  against  me, 
And  say,  Aha !  aha !  our  eye  hath  seen  it. 

22  This  thou  hast  seen,  0  LORD  : 

Keep  not  silence :  0  LORD,  be  not  far  from  me. 

23  Stir  up  thyself,  and  awake  to  my  judgment, 
Even  unto  my  cause,  my  God  and  my  Lord. 

24  Judge  me,  0  LORD  my  God,  according  to  thy  righteous- 

ness; 
And  let  them  not  rejoice  over  me. 

25  Let  them  not  say  in  their  hearts,  "Ah!  so  would  we 

have  it." 
Let  them  not  say,  "We  have  swallowed  him  up." 

26  Let  them  be  ashamed  and  brought  to  confusion  together 
That  rejoice  at  mine  hurt: 

Let  them  be  clothed  with  shame  and  dishonour 
That  magnify  themselves  against  me. 

27  Let  them  shout  for  joy,  and  be  glad, 
That  favour  my  righteous  cause : 

Yea,  let  them  say  continually,"  Let  the  LORD  be  magnified, 
Which  hath  pleasure  in  the  prosperity  of  his  servant." 

28  And  my  tongue  shall  speak  of  thy  righteousness 
And  of  thy  praise  all  the  day  long. 

V.  1 — 3.  Human  weakness,  which  can  only  speak  figuratively 
of  God,  conceives  of  the  distribution  of  Divine  justice  as  of  a  war- 
fare carried  on  with  human  weapons,  though  the  weapons  of  the 
righteous  Lord  against  his  enemies  are  not  made  of  brass.  Such 
figurative  representations  of  God  tend  to  furnish  us  with  a  more 
vivid  apprehension  of  his  powerful  help.  "Say  unto  my  soul,  I 
am  thy  salvation/'  expresses  the  Psalmist's  desire  for  that  secret 
and  inward  encouraginent  direct  from  God,  which  he  is  sure  to  im- 
part in  the  hour  of  need. 

V.  4 — 10.  He  prays  that  according  to  the  law  of  retaliation, 
confusion  should  befall  the  contemners,  and  that  those  who  were 
trumpeting  forth  their  pride  should  be  scattered  like  chaff  before 
the  wind,  that  those  who  in  their  haughty  confidence  deemed  them- 
selves strong  as  mountains  should  see  the  soil  give  way  under  their 
feet,  and  that  those  who  had  digged  pits  for  others  might  in  their 
own  pits  be  destroyed.  We  have  often  seen  it  thus  in  life,  though 
the  longsuffering  of  God  checks  the  hand  of  justice,  as  long  as 
there  is  any  hope  that  the  weed  may  become  good  wheat.  Most 


PSALM  XXXVI.  187 

people  in  prayers  of  this  kind  are  solely  concerned  with  their  own 
deliverance — but  the  spirit  of  David  rejoices  in  the  prospect  of  the 
moment,  when  as  it  were  moved  with  gratitude  in  all  his  bones,  he 
will  ascribe  all  the  glory  to  the  Lord,  and  confess  that  no  other 
help  can  be  compared  to  his. 

V.  11 — 16.  Oppression  and  violence  are  never  more  painful 
than  when  they  proceed  from  those  who  have  experienced  the  proofs 
of  our  love.  We  have  already  seen  (Psalm  vii.  5)  to  how  great  an 
extent  that  species  of  painful  experience  fell  to  the  lot  of  David. 
Saul  himseli,  ashamed  of  his  conduct,  and  weeping  over  it,  had 
said  to  David,  "Thou  art  more  righteous  than  I,  for  ihou  hast 
rewarded  me  good,  whereas  I  have  rewarded  thee  evil"  (1  Sam. 
xxiv.  17.)  David,  though  speaking  of  several,  may  either  have 
alluded  to  Saul  in  particular  or  to  his  courtiers  possessed  of  hostile 
intentions  against  him.  Let  it  be  observed  that  he  not  only  refers 
to  benefits  which  our  hand  may  confer  without  any  cordial  sympathy, 
but  to  such  evidences  of  love  as  necessarily  imply  the  interest  of 
our  hearts.  He  had  prayed  for  those  who  now  persecute  him. 
Such  sympathy  with  their  sufferings  they  now  requite  with  malevo- 
lent joy  at  his.  The  malicious  accusations  of  verse  11,  have  already 
been  considered  in  Psalm  vii.  Verse  16  may  respect  the  king 
only,  who  joined  by  flattering  courtiers  used  to  vent  his  rage  against 
the  afflicted  exile;  or  David  may  contemplate  particular  companions 
of  the  king,  accustomed  to  join  the  epicures  at  the  royal  table. 
(Cf.  Psalm  Ixix.  13.) 

F.  17 — 28.  These  verses  depict  still  more  graphically  the  rude 
fury  of  malevolent  joy.  The  righteous  God  in  heaven  cannot  be 
silent  at  such  triumphs  of  wickedness :  their  impudence  must  lead 
to  the  display  of  his  vengeance.  David  is  aware  that  he  has  still 
some  friends  in  the  country,  at  once  the  friends  of  God  and  of 
righteousness,  who  would  regard  (v.  27)  the  triumph  of  his  cause 
as  the  universal  triumph  of  righteousness,  and  accordingly  praise 
the  Lord  for  it.  His  tongue  shall  gratefully  join  their  praise. 


PSALM  XXXVI. 

A  LOFTY  psalm  of  supplication,  in  which  the  Psalmist  starting  from 
his  own  temptation  and  persecution  (v.  12)  represents  men  as  if 
divided  into  two  families  or  armies.  While  the  wicked  devise  only 
evil  against  the  children  of  God,  he  beholds  the  wings  of  a  blessed 
God  spread  over  these  as  their  protection.  Inspired  by  this  vision 
he  prays  trustfully  for  himself. 

»  * 


188  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  the  servant 
of  the  LORD. 

2  The  transgression  of  the  wicked  saith  within  my  heart,* 
That  there  is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes. 

3  For  they  flatter  him  (God)  in  their  own  eyes  (L  e.  as  they 

think,) 
Until  their  iniquity  be  found  to  be  hateful,  f 

4  The  words  of  their  mouth  are  iniquity  and  deceit  : 
They  have  left  off  to  be  wise,  and  to  do  good. 

5  They  devise  mischief  upon  their  bed  ; 

They  set  themselves  in  a  way  that  is  not  good  ; 
They  abhor  no  evil. 

6  Thy  mercy,  0  LORD,  is  in  (or,  "as  far  as")  the  heavens: 
And  thy  faithfulness  reacheth  unto  (or,  "as  far  as")  the 

clouds. 

7  Thy  righteousness  is  like  the  mountains  of  God  ; 
Thy  judgments  are  like  great  seas. 

0  LORD,  thou  preservest  man  and  beast, 

8  How  precious  is  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God  ! 

The  children  of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow  of 
thy  wings. 

9  They  get  drunk  with  the  riches  of  thine  house  : 

And  thou  makest  them  drink  of  the  river  of  thy  pleasures. 

10  For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life  : 
In  thy  light  do  we  see  light. 

11  0  spread  thy  loving-kindness  over  them  that  know  thee  ; 
And  thy  righteousness  over  the  upright  in  heart. 

12  Let  not  the  foot  of  pride  come  against  me, 
And  let  not  the  hand  of  the  wicked  remove  me. 

13  Already  J  are  the  workers  of  iniquity  fallen: 
They  are  cast  down,  and  shall  not  be  able  to  rise. 

*  Or,  "a  Divine  oracle  says  from  the  depth  of  my  heart  concerning  the 
wickedness  of  the  ungodly."  This  rendering  of  this  difficult  passage  agrees 
in  the  main  with  that  of  Symmachus  and  Luther.  The  view  of  Maurer  may 
also  be  defended,  who  regards  the  words,  "Divine  voice"  as  a  title.  Jer. 
xxiii.  31,  shows  that  CD&W  may  be  a  noun  substantive.  That  view  has  the 

'   ' 


advantage  of  beautiful  correspondence  in  verse  1,  while  our  explanation 
has  the  double  inconcinnity  that  the  first  hemistich  announces  the  Divine 
voice,  and  the  second  begins  it  at  once,  and  that  the  contents  of  the  Psalm 
are  not  exactly  stated,  in  calling  it  a  Divine  oracle  "  concerning  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  ungodly,"  or  concerning  wickedness  for  the  ungodly."  It  is 
rather  an  oracular  consolation  for  the  suffering  godly. 

f  Tholuck  translates  verse  3,  "  For  they  flatter  God,  as  they  think  to 
perform  their  evil  with  greater  security,  and  to  give  vent  to  their  hatred." 

J  Cf.  Ps.  xiv.  6,  xlviii.  7,  in  the  Hebrew. 


PSALM  XXXVI.  189 

F.  2 — 5.  There  are  moments  in  our  life,  when  the  dimness  and 
mystery  of  the  course  of  the  world  suddenly  dissolve,  and  the  world, 
seen  in  the  light  of  faith,  assumes  a  new  appearance.  David  seems 
to  have  composed  this  psalm  in  such  a  moment  of  physical  eleva- 
tion. When  he  beheld  with  unusual  charity  the  blessedness  of  the 
children  of  God,  in  spite  of  their  trials  and  temptations,  he  felt  the 
Spirit  of  God  breathe  upon  him  as  upon  a  prophet,  and  under  the 
influence  of  the  Divine  afflatus  uttered  an  oracular  sentence  respect- 
ing the  wicked,  i.  e.  respecting  their  persecutions  of  the  righteous. 
Their  professed  fear  of  the  Lord  is  hypocrisy,  which  does  not  avail 
with  God,  though  they  imagine  that  under  its  cloak  they  can  carry 
on  their  mischief  with  greater  impunity.  As  a  corrupt  tree  cannot 
bear  good  fruit,  nor  thorns  yield  grapes,  so  all  they  do,  however 
much  it  glitters,  is  only  mischief  and  destruction. 

V.  6 — 8.  He  turns  from  the  wretched  oppressors  to  the  oppressed 
children  of  God.  Desirous  to  depict  the  blessedness  of  their  con- 
dition in  spite  of  the  devices  of  the  wicked,  his  thoughts  expand, 
and  describe  the  vast  and  infinite  extent  of  Divine  mercy,  truth, 
and  righteousness,  the  chief  portion  of  which  benefits  the  pious. 
He  affirms  the  goodness  of  God  to  reach  to  the  heavens,  and  his 
truth  to  the  clouds;  whereby  he  means  to  say  that  the  universe  is 
filled  with  them,  and  that  human  eyes  are  unable  to  measure  their 
dimensions.  The  expressions  that  righteousness  is  like  the  moun- 
tains of  God,  i.  e.  like  glorious  and  immense  mountains,  (Gen. 
xiii.  10 ;  Psalm  Ixxx.  11,)  and  that  his  judgments  are  like  great 
seas,  denote  the  immoveability  of  the  eternal  foundations  of  right, 
and  the  apparency  of  their  existence  in  the  world.  How  rich  in 
mercy  must  be  the  wings  of  Divine  Providence,  since  not  only  man 
but  also  beast  are  sheltered  in  their  vast  shade !  Such  and  similar 
expressions  may  easily  glide  over  our  lips,  but  to  retain  them 
immoveably  in  our  heart  is  a  problem  of  faith  which  hardly  one  in 
a  thousand  can  solve.  There  is  no  mystery  of  Christianity  more 
difficult  to  believe  than  the  simple  truth  that  righteousness,  truth, 
and  goodness  secretly  pervade  the  chaos  of  transgression  and 
injustice,  of  misery  and  woe,  which  fill  the  world.  By  truth  (the 
word  used  in  the  German  version)  is  meant  the  faithfulness  of  God 
in  the  fulfilment  of  his  promises.  The  natural  man  treats  this  very 
adhesion  to  the  faithfulness  of  God  on  the  part  of  the  godly  as  sheer 
folly  in  sight  of  occurrences  which  to  all  appearance  contradict 
the  word  of  God,  and  in  a  world  which  seems  governed  by  any 
other  power  rather  than  the  tears  and  the  prayers  of  some  few 
wretched  croakers,  they  who  in  spite  of  all  this — for  instance,  like 
David  on  his  flight,  in  his  exile,  in  tribulation,  and  nakedness,  and 
in  peril  of  death — can  say,  concerning  the  promises  of  God,  "Thy, 
faithfulness  reacheth  unto  the  clouds" — have  stood  the  test  of  faith. 
If  any  ask  for  the  evidence  that  faith  like  this  is  not  extinct,  let 
them  read  the  song  of  steel  and  brass  which  John  the  Magnanimous 


190  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

sang  after  the  battle  of  Miihlberg,  in  a  situation  not  less  desperate 
than  that  of  David,  "As  it  pleaseth  God,  so  it  pleaseth  me." 

F.  9,  10.  Though  the  Psalmist  had  spoken  in  the  former  part 
of  the  psalm  of  man  in  general,  it  is  evident  from  these  verses  that 
he  specially  adverted  to  the  children  of  God.  David  describes  the 
blessings  of  the  house  of  God  in  such  lofty  terms,  that  some  inter- 
preters have  thought  him  to  allude  to  the  everlasting  habitations, 
where  the  treasury  of  God  with  the  plenitude  of  its  riches  shall  be 
displayed  before  believers.*  But  we  have  already  seen  from  other 
psalms,  that  the  Psalmists  regard  the  house  of  God  as  a  figure  of 
the  sum  total  of  every  and  any  blessing  which  is  enjoyed  in  com- 
munion with  God :  this  is  apparent  from  the  sentence  which  follows 
immediately  afterwards,  "  For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life." 
(Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xv,  1;  xxiii.  6.)  So  David  sings,  (Psalm  Ixv.  5,) 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  choosest  and  causest  to  approach 
unto  thee,  that  he  may  dwell  in  thy  courts :  we  shall  be  satisfied 
with  the  goodness  of  thy  house,  even  of  thy  holy  temple."  The 
sacred  bard's  meaning  is,  therefore,  that  though  apparently  the 
ungodly  enjoy  abundance  in  their  life,  yet  because  their  souls  con- 
tinue hungering  and  thirsting,  it  really  is  the  lot  of  believers  to 
experience  what  is  meant  by  real  satisfaction  and  abundance.  It 
cannot  be  denied,  that  a  morsel  of  dry  bread  and  a  cup  of  cold 
water  consumed  with  a  grateful  heart,  and  the  consciousness  of  the 
presence  of  God,  is  a  feast  with  which  no  royal  feast  can  stand  the 
comparison :  while  the  wicked  take  one  gift  after  the  other  from 
morn  till  night,  without  even  a  thought  of  the  bounteous  hand 
which  bestows  them,  David's  eye  of  faith  beholds  high  above  the 
clouds  the  source,  the  blessings  whereof  water  and  make  fruitful 
all  the  earth.  Now,  since  the  sum-total  of  the  good  which  man 
enjoys  flows  from  God,  the  children  of  God  may  rest  satisfied  that 
they  shall  not  fall  short  in  its  distribution.  "In  thy  light  do  we 
see  light,"  refers  primarily  to  happiness  and  good  of  every  kind,*)* 
but  finds  a  peculiarly  beautiful  application  in  the  light  of  know- 
ledge, which  can  never  guide  us  in  the  right  direction,  except  it 
have  been  lighted  by  the  eternal  light  of  God,  as  Daniel  has  it, 
"He  revealeth  the  deep  and  secret  things;  he  knoweth  what  is  in 
the  darkness,  for  the  light  dwelleth  with  him"  (Dan.  ii.  22;)  yea, 
the  living  fountain  of  the  knowledge  of  God  is  only  to  be  sought 
with  God,  nor  has  any  one  ever  found  God  except  by  God. 

F.  11 — 13.  Thus  far  the  description,  now  follows  prayer. 
Having  had  to  suffer  from  the  devices  of  the  wicked,  he  prays  God 
in  mercy  to  reveal  himself  to  all  the  godly  as  the  great  Being 

*  Cf.  the  Commentaries  of  Kimchi,  Venema,  Klauss,  p.  212. 

f  As  Job  says,  "Oh,  that  I  were  as  in  months  past,  as  in  the  days  when 
God  preserved  me,  when  his  candle  shined  upon  my  head,  and  when  by  his 
light  I  walked  through  darkness."  (Job  xxix.  2,  3.) 


PSALM  XXXVII.  191 

whom  they  adore  and  worship,  and  to  graciously  confer  the  same 
happy  experience  upon  himself.  His  prophetic  vision  sees  the 
judgment  as  already  accomplished.  Indeed  the  present  prosperity 
of  the  wicked  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  term  of  the  longsuffering 
of  God,  which  gives  them  the  opportunity,  by  repentance,  to  escape 
the  final  judgment  of  God. 


PSALM  XXXVII. 

A  DIDACTIC  psalm  on  the  ultimate  victory  of  the  children  of  God 
over  the  wicked.  Though  the  Psalmist  does  not  explicitly  refer 
that  victory  to  eternity,  the  consciousness  of  future  judgment  must 
have  been  alive  in  his  heart,  since  otherwise  he  could  not  well  have 
so  confidently  held  out  a  happy  end  to  the  godly  and  an  unhappy 
one  to  the  ungodly,  (cf.  verses  37,  38,  with  Ps.  i.  5.)  The  reit- 
erated prediction,  moreover,  that  the  children  of  God  shall  inherit 
the  earth,  and  the  wicked  be  destroyed,  (v.  9.  28,  29,)  can  only 
have  a  meaning  on  the  supposition  that  David,  overlooking  the 
present,  had  before  his  mind  the  victorious  future  of  the  godly. 
These  allusions  of  the  Psalmist  have  been  more  clearly  expressed 
by  the  Prophets.  Isa.  xi.  9;  Ix.  21;  Zech.  xiv.  21;  Mai.  iv.  1 — 3, 
(ch.  iii.  19—21.) 

This  psalm  exhibits  no  progression  of  thought,  but  repeats  like 
a  musical  composition  the  same  theme  in  different  variations. 


A 


PSALM  of  David. 


1  Fret  not  thyself  because  of  evil  doers, 

Neither  be  thou  envious  against  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

2  For  they  shall  soon  be  cut  down  like  the  grass, 
And  wither  as  the  green  herb. 

3  Trust  in  the  LORD,  and  do  good ; 
Dwell  in  the  land  and  be  honest.* 

4  Delight  thyself  also  in  the  LORD  ; 

And  he  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart. 

5  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  LORD  ; 

Trust  also  in  him :  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass. 

6  And  he  shall  bring  forth  thy  righteousness  as  the  light, 
And  thy  judgment  (i.  e.  right)  as  the  noonday. 

*  Luther:  "Earn  an  honest  livelihood. " 


192  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

7  Be  silent  to  the  LORD,  and  wait  patiently  for  him  : 
Fret  not  thyself  because  of  him  who  prospereth  in  his  way, 
Because  of  the  man  who  bringeth  wicked  devices  to  pass. 

8  Cease  from  anger  and  forsake  wrath: 
Fret  not  thyself  in  any  wise  to  do  evil : 

9  For  evil  doers  shall  be  cut  off: 

But  those  that  wait  upon  the  LORD,  they  shall  inherit 
the  earth. 

10  For  yet  a  little  while,  and  the  wicked  shall  not  be : 
Yea,  thou  shalt  diligently  consider  his  place,  and  he  shall 

not  be. 

11  But  the  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth ; 

And  shall  delight  themselves  in  the  abundance  of  peace. 

12  The  wicked  plotteth  against  the  just, 
And  gnasheth  upon  him  with  his  teeth. 

13  The  LORD  shall  laugh  at  him : 

For  he  seeth  that  his  day  is  coming. 

14  The  wicked  have  drawn  out  the  sword,  and  have  bent 

their  bow, 

To  cast  down  the  poor  and  needy, 
And  to  slay  such  as  be  of  upright  conversation. 

15  Their  sword  shall  enter  into  their  own  heart, 
And  their  bows  shall  be  broken. 

16  A  little  that  a  righteous  man  hath 

Is  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked. 

17  For  the  arms  of  the  wicked  shall  be  broken : 
But  the  LORD  upholdeth  the  righteous. 

18  The  LORD  knoweth  the  days  of  the  upright : 
And  their  inheritance  shall  be  for  ever. 

19  They  shall  not  be  ashamed  in  the  evil  time : 
And  in  the  days  of  famine  they  shall  be  satisfied. 

20  For  the  wicked  shall  perish, 

And  the  enemies  of  the  LORD  shall  be  as  the  fat  of  lambs 

(or,  "like  the  pride  of  the  pastures:") 
They  shall  consume ;  into  smoke  shall  they  consume  away. 

21  The  wicked  borroweth,  and  payeth  not  again : 
But  the  righteous  showeth  mercy  and  giveth. 

22  For  such  as  be  blessed  of  him  (the  Lord)  shall  inherit  the 

earth : 
And  they  that  be  cursed  of  him  shall  be  cut  off. 

23  The  steps  of  a  good  man  are  ordered  by  the  LORD  : 
And  he  delighteth  in  his  way. 


PSALM  XXXVII.  193 

24  Though  he  fall,  he  shall  not  be  utterly  cast  down : 
For  the  LORD  upholdeth  Mm  with  his  hand. 

25  I  have  been  young  and  now  am  old ; 

Yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken, 
Nor  his  seed  begging  bread. 

26  He  is  ever  merciful,  and  lendeth;* 
And  his  seed  is  blessed. 

27  Depart  from  evil  and  do  good; 
And  dwell  for  evermore. 

28  For  the  LORD  loveth  judgment  (right,) 
And  forsaketh  not  his  saints ; 

They  are  preserved  for  ever  :f 

But  the  seed  01  the  wicked  shall  be  cut  off. 

29  The  righteous  shall  inherit  the  land, 
And  dwell  therein  for  ever. 

30  The  mouth  of  the  righteous  speaketh  wisdom, 
And  his  tongue  talketh  of  judgment  (right.) 

31  The  law  of  God  is  in  his  heart ; 
None  of  his  steps  shall  slide. 

32  The  wicked  watcheth  the  righteous, 
And  seeketh  to  slay  him. 

33  The  LORD  will  not  leave  him  in  his  hand, 
Nor  condemn  him  when  he  is  judged. 

34  Wait  on  the  LORD,  and  keep  his  way, 
And  he  shall  exalt  thee  to  inherit  the  land : 
When  the  wicked  are  cut  off,  thou  shalt  see  it. 

35  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power, 
And  spreading  himself  like  a  green  bay  tree. 

36  Yet  he  passeth  away,  and  lo  he  was  not : 
Yea,  I  sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be  found. 

37  Mark  the  honest  man,  and  behold  the  upright  (or,  "  Pre- 

serve piety  and  honesty:") 
For  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace.  J 

*  Psalm  cxii.  5. 

f  According  to  ancient  readings  this  verse  is  probably  to  be  rendered, 
"But  the  wicked  shall  be  destroyed,  and  the  seed  of  the  ungodly  shall  be 
cut  off." 

J  Instead  of  Luther's  version,  which  is  also  that  of  Jerome  and  Aben  Ezra 
(with  which  cf.  the  use  of  EJ^  Psalm  cxii.  5,)  a  more  correct  rendering  is 

probably,  "For  the  good  man  has  an  end,"  i.  e.  a  good  end.  The  render- 
ing, "  Mark  the  honest  man,  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  man  of  peace 
shall  have  offspring,"  which  has  been  preferred  by  many  ancient  and 
modern  translators,  is  inadmissible.  The  respective  Hebrew  word  fi 

17 


194  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

38  But  the  transgressors  shall  be  destroyed  together : 
The  wicked  shall  be  cut  off  at  last. 

39  But  the  salvation  of  the  righteous  is  of  the  LORD  : 
He  is  their  strength  in  the  time  of  trouble. 

40  And  the  LORD  shall  Jielp  them  and  deliver  them : 
He  shall  deliver  them  from  the  wicked, 

And  save  them,  because  they  trust  in  him. 

V.  1,  2.  Godly  people,  if  they  do  not  take  great  care,  are 
exposed  to  fall  a  prey  to  the  two  sins  which  David  mentions.  On 
seeing  the  enterprises  of  the  ungodly  crowned  with  success,  they 
are  prone  to  yield  either  to  personal  and  passionate  indignation,  or 
to  envy  at  what  is  granted  to  the  former  and  withheld  from  them- 
selves. The  Psalmist  checks  that  foolish  indignation  by  the  con- 
sideration, that  compared  with  the  final  and  eternal  salvation  of  the 
godly,  the  most  redeeming  prosperity  of  the  wicked  would  vanish 
as  speedily  as  the  grass  which  lustily  grows  at  morn,  but  struck  by 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the  fiery  breath  of  the  east  wind,  is  so 
faded  and  withered  at  even,  that  it  is  cut  off  and  cast  into  the  oven 
for  fuel.  (Matt.  vi.  30;  James  i.  11.) 

V.  3 — 6.  On  the  other  hand  the  prosperity  of  the  godly  is 
immoveably  firm :  its  very  protraction  only  secures  its  imperishable 
duration.  Steadfastly  observe  therefore  the  condition  on  which 
that  prosperity  depends.  It  is  faith  and  hope  in  the  Lord :  simple 
honesty  in  our  several  avocations :  delight  and  satisfaction  in  the 
communion  with  God  as  contrasted  with  the  thousandfold  allure- 
ments of  the  world :  and  lastly,  let  our  anxieties  and  burdens  be 
neither  complained  of  in  melancholy  strains  nor  discarded  in  light- 
mindedness,  but  rolled  upon  the  Lord.  Our  righteousness  may  then 
abide  for  a  time  in  darkness,  or  seem  ignominious  in  the  sight  of 
men — the  day  is  sure  to  come  when  it  shall  shine  as  a  light,  and 
our  judgment  (i.  e.  right)  as  the  midday  sun. 

F.  7 — 11.  Where  faith  is  wanting  we  need  not  be  surprised  to 
see  the  heart  riding  on  billows  in  the  storms  of  life.  Having 
asked  for  faith,  David  may  also  desire  the  silence  of  the  heart. 
Besides,  is  not  our  premature  haste  to  help  ourselves,  instead  of 
quietly  waiting  for  the  arm  of  the  Lord,  the  very  means  of  shutting 
out  Divine  help  ?  But  he  chiefly  insists  upon  the  silence  of  the 
heart,  because  a  heart  moved  with  passion  under  pressure  is  most 
inclined  to  get  wrathful  against  the  ungodly,  and  by  doing  so,  to 
fall  into  sin.  This  exhortation  shows  that  the  Psalmist's  repeat- 
edly threatening  destruction  to  the  wicked,  which  occurs  both  here  . 
and  elsewhere,  flows  not  from  passion,  but  from  his  calm  contern- 

is  undoubtedly  more  correctly  rendered  "end."  Job  xlii.  12  ;  Prov.  xxiv. 
14.)  Stier  has  the  merit,  by  collating  with  Prov.  xxiii.  18;  xxiv.  14.  20, 
to  have  first  shown,  that  no  other  rendering  is  admissible  in  this  place. 


PSALM  XXXVII.  195 

plation  of  the  eternal  and  necessary  order  of  the  righteousness  of 
God.  Striking  is  the  prediction  that  the  godly  shall  inherit  the 
earth,  which  has  already  occurred,  Psalin  xxv.  13.  It  was  origi- 
nally made  to  Israel  on  entering  Canaan;  but  it  has  since  then 
been  repeated  in  a  spiritual  sense,  and  the  prophets  point  to  a 
period  when  Israel  shall  destroy  the  ungodly,  and  the  seed  of  the 
truly  righteous  only  possess  the  land.  Our  Lord  took  up  this  very 
prediction,  (Matt.  v.  5,)  and  explained  its  profound  meaning. 
Though  the  prediction  meets  a  partial  fulfilment  in  that  the  pros- 
perity of  the  wicked  comes  frequently  to  a  sudden  and  terrific  end, 
while  honesty  is  the  best  policy,  yet  the  entire  fulfilment  thereof 
will  take  place,  when  the  completed  community  of  the  righteous, 
after  the  exclusion  of  every  tare  and  every  plant  which  the  Father 
hath  not  planted,  (Matt.  xv.  13,)  shall  take  possession  of  that  new 
earth,  "  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness."  (2  Peter  iii.  13.) 

V.  12 — 15.  It  is  true,  says  the  Psalmist,  that  while  the  wicked 
are  suffered  to  bend  their  bow  (as  is  the  case  on  earth,)  the  godly 
do  not  experience  much  of  the  unclouded  peace  and  delight  which 
are  described  in  verse  11.  But  while  the  godly  still  weep  and 
hesitate,  the  Lord  laugheth,  because  he  sees  that  future  day  as 
already  present,  when  every  blow  of  the  wicked  shall  return  upon 
his  own  head.  Now,  if  man  have  faith,  the  nature  of  which  is  to 
regard  the  future  as  the  present,  may  he  not  on  that  account  dry 
his  tears  and  join  in  the  laugh  of  his  God  ? 

V.  16 — 26.  David  denies  not  that  with  respect  to  temporal 
possessions  the  godly  may  fare  worse  than  others,  but  he  gives  an 
answer  similar  to  that  which  Luther  addressed  from  his  dying  bed 
to  his  children :  "  Children,  I  leave  you  no  riches,  but  I  leave  you 
a  rich  God."  Who  would  despair,  when  God  declares  his  own 
treasury  to  be  the  possession  of  his  children?  Though  not  com- 
pletely opened  to  them  on  earth,  what  more  can  they  desire,  while 
they  have  the  assurance  "that  they  shall  be  satisfied  in  the  days  of 
famine"  ?  But  the  Psalmist  seems  to  imply  more  than  this.  How 
often  does  it  happen  on  earth  that  the  righteous  receives  more 
than  enough!  Suppose  we  put  the  question,  "Who  spends  more 
in  alms  and  charities,  the  poor  people  of  the  godly,  or  the  rich 
crowd  of  the  ungodly?"  we  shall  find  that  the  small  bag  of  the  for- 
mer, though  continually  drained,  gets  by  secret  influences  from 
above,  like  the  cruse  of  oil  of  the  widow  of  Sarepta,  ever  filled 
anew.  Does  not  this  indicate  that  they  are  people  who  have  access 
to  the  treasury  of  God  ?  On  the  other  hand  how  frequently  does 
it  happen  that  the  rich  ungodly,  anxious  to  get  still  more — (for  to 
gain  much,  much  must  be  staked) — gets  suddenly  set  fast  in  loss 
and  debt,  from  which  he  cannot  extricate  himself.  The  experi- 
ence of  a  whole  life  lay  spread  out  before  David,  and  he  unhesi- 
tatingly affirms  that  he  has  never  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor 
his  children  reduced  to  penury.  Is  it  possible  to  deny  this  truth  ? 


196  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Especially  if  we  look  upon  the  righteous  as  one  who  conscientiously 
discharges  the  duties  of  his  avocation,  and  shows  in  his  life  mercy 
and  charity.  Suppose  that  peculiar  circumstances  were  to  com- 
bine, and  apparently  forsaken  of  God  and  man,  he  were  reduced  to 
momentary  want — he  can  nevermore  become  a  beggar.  Proverbs 
such  as  these,  "He  who  does  well  will  fare  well,"  "  Honesty  needs 
not  beg  for  bread/'  would  never  have  arisen,  if  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist  did  not  contain  a  great  truth.  In  brief,  suppose  mischief 
of  every  kind  to  combine  and  fall  at  once  on  a  pious  and  devout 
man,  it  would  indeed  be  strange  if  a  true  life  before  God  and  man 
should  not  secure  true  friends  in  the  time  of  need,  if  he  who  has 
been  to  many  a  friend  in  need  should  not  himself  find  a  friend  in 
need.  So  the  Psalmist  declares  in  verse  26,  that  the  righteous  has 
not  only  enough  for  himself  and  his  children,  but  while  the  rich 
shut  their  hand,  he  has  even  enough  for  strangers. 

V.  '27 — 34.  Meanwhile,  he  goes  on  to  specify  the  virtues 
needed  for  genuine  righteousness;  they  are  these:  the  earnest 
striving  to  obey  the  will  of  God — wise  thoughts  and  words — and 
the  law  of  God  written  in  the  heart.  Then  let  the  wicked  lie  in 
ambush,  or  human  judges  pronounce  sentence  of  death :  the  Lord 
will  provide  a  way  for  escape ! 

F.  35 — 40.  David  had  seen  it  so  in  this  life,  before  the  last 
day  was  come;  with  how  much  more  security  may  he  rely  upon  the 
final  issue  of  things,  especially  since  as  children  of  the  New  Cove- 
nant we  see  with  much  greater  clarity  how  that  issue  will  termi- 
nate. 


PSALM  XXXVIII. 

DAVID  deeply  aggrieved,  realizes  before  God  the  burden  of  his 
sufferings  as  the  punishment  of  his  sins,  though  he  attests  his  inno- 
cence with  regard  to  his  enemies.  "They  that  render  me  evil  for 
good,  are  mine  adversaries,  because  I  follow  the  thing  which  is 
good,"  (v.  21.)  But  does  not  our  conscience  frequently  disclose  to 
us  that  our  innocent  sufferings  from  enemies  are  a  just  judgment 
of  God?  Appearances  are  here  even  stronger  than  in  Psalm  6, 
that  reference  is  made  to  suffering  from  disease,  from  sores  and 
leprosy,  (v.  8 — 12  :)*  so  leprous  Job  said,  "My  kinsfolk  have  failed, 
and  my  familiar  friends  have  forgotten  me."  (Job  xix.  14.)  This 
latter  expression,  which  occurs  in  verse  12,  also  occurs  in  Psalm 

*  Hetzel,  Ewald,  Krahmer,  Ko'ster;  Jerome  translates  verse  12:  Amici 
contra  lepram  meam  steterunt. 


PSALM  XXXVIII.  197 

xxxi.  12,  13;  Ixix.  9;  Ixxxviii.  19,  although  there  is  no  necessary 
reference  to  leprosy  in  those  passages.  It  appears  from  Genesis 
iv.  23;  Isa.  i.  5,  6;  liii.  3,  that  disease,  wounds,  and  sores,  were 
used  to  denote  every  kind  of  suffering  and  pain.  It  will  therefore 
be  more  correct  to  seek  the  primary  cause  of  this  painful  complaint 
in  the  fiery  persecution,  which,  however,  probably  aided  by  some 
particular  transgression,  aroused  David's  sense  of  guilt  and  the 
thought  of  the  Divine  wrath.  Lost  in  himself,  the  Psalmist  com- 
plains in  the  first  two  strophes  of  the  burden  of  his  soul  and  body, 
but  feels  the  wrath  of  God  in  his  bodily  and  psychical  pains, 
(v.  2 — 11.)  He  then  looks  around  him:  his  friends  leave  him, 
his  enemies  daily  devise  new  mischief;  he  suffers  without  remon- 
strating, for  his  hope  is  in  the  Lord,  (v.  12 — 16.)  He  states  to 
God  his  misery — on  the  one  hand  his  awakened  knowledge  of  him- 
self, the  voluptuous  prosperity  of  his  enemies,  and  their  great 
wrong  on  the  other,  (v.  17 — 21,)  and  bases  thereon  his  prayer  for 
aid  and  deliverance. 

1  A    PSALM  of  David,  to  bring  to  remembrance. 

2  0  LORD,  rebuke  me  not  in  thy  wrath : 
Neither  chasten  me  in  thy  hot  displeasure. 

3  For  thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me, 
And  thy  hand  presseth  me  sore. 

4  There  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh 

Because  of  (or,  "before")  thine  anger;  neither  is  there 

any  rest  in  my  bones 
Because  of  (or  "  before")  my  sin. 

5  For  mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  mine  head : 
As  an  heavy  burden  they  are  too  heavy  for  me. 

6  My  wounds  stink  and  are  corrupt. 
Because  of  my  foolishness. 

7  I  am  troubled ;  I  am  bowed  down  greatly ; 
I  go  mourning  all  the  day  long. 

8  For  my  loins  are  filled  with  burning : 
And  there  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh. 

9  I  am  feeble  and  sore  broken : 

I  have  roared  by  reason  of  the  disquietness  of  my  heart. 

10  Lord,  all  my  desire  is  before  thee ; 
And  my  groaning  is  not  hid  from  thee. 

11  My  heart  panteth,  my  strength  faileth  me : 

As  for  the  light  of  mine  eyes,  it  also  is  gone  from  me. 

12  My  lovers  and  my  friends  stand  aloof  from  my  sore ; 
And  my  kinsmen  stand  afar  off. 

17* 


198  COMMENTAEY   ON   THE  TSALMS. 

13  They  also  that  seek  after  my  life  lay  snares  for  me: 
And  they  that  seek  my  hurt  speak  mischievous  things, 
And  imagine  deceits  all  the  day  long. 

14  But  I,  as  a  deaf  man,  hear  not ; 

And  I  am  as  a  dumb  man  that  openeth  not  his  mouth. 

15  Thus  I  am  as  a  man  that  heareth  not, 

And  in  whose  mouth  are  no  reproofs  (or  "remonstrance.") 

16  For  in  thee,  0  LORD,  do  I  hope : 
Thou  wilt  hear,  0  Lord,  my  God. 

17  For  I  said,  Hear  me, 

Lest  otherwise  they  should  rejoice  over  me ! 
Lest  when  my  foot  slippeth,  they  magnify  themselves 
against  me ! 

18  For  I  am  ready  to  halt, 

And  my  sorrow  is  continually  before  me. 

19  For  I  declare  mine  iniquity; 
I  am  sorry  for  my  sin. 

20  While  mine  enemies  are  alive,*  and  they  are  strong: 
And  they  that  hate  me  wrongfully,  are  multiplied. 

21  They  also  that  render  evil  for  good  are  mine  adversaries ; 
Because  I  follow  the  thing  that  good  is. 

22  Forsake  me  not,  0  LORD  : 

0  my  God,  be  not  far  from  me. 

23  Make  haste  to  help  me, 
0  LORD  my  salvation. 

V.  2 — 6.  It  is  not  uncommon  that  a  strong  sense  of  guilt  is 
attendant  upon  afflictions,  into  which  pious  people  are  brought 
without  any  fault  of  their  own.  Stimulated  by  the  thought  that 
God  must  have  his  wise  designs  in  sending  them,  we  search  for 
concealed  guilt.  Transgressions  which  until  then  had  been  unno- 
ticed suddenly  advance  into  prominent  relief  in  the  hour  of  suffer- 
ing. More  than  this,  our  deportment  in  affliction,  our  impatient 
complaints,  our  fears  and  our  shrinking  from  prayer,  render  us 
more  familiar  with  the  condition  of  our  hearts  than  in  days  of 
prosperity.  Our  awakened  consciences  regard  then  every  blow  of 
the  enemy  as  a  scourging  of  God — every  act  of  injustice  of  men  as 
a  sting  of  Divine  justice — and  every  disease  as  an  arrow  sent  from 
God.  David  probably  remembered  some  particular  transgression. 
Expressions  of  a  sense  of  guilt  accompanying  suffering,  occur  also 
in  Psalms  vi.  2;  xxv.  18;  xxx.  8;  xxxi.  11;  xxxix.  9;  xl.  13; 
cxliii.  2. 

*  Perhaps,  but  less  probably,  "They  who  hate  me  without  cause  are 
many." 


PSALM  XXXVIII.  199 

F.  7 — 11.  He  derives  consolation  in  his  affliction  from  the 
knowledge  that  his  every  complaint  is  well  known  to  God.  If  that 
conviction  is  clearly  apprehended,  it  yields  of  itself  a  rich  consola- 
tion. For  if  the  tempter  succeeds  in  protracted  suffering  to  per- 
suade the  soul  that  God  is  perfectly  unconcerned  about  it,  then  we 
must  regard  such  persuasion  as  a  temptation  of  the  fiercest  kind. 

F.  12 — 16.  His  friends  have  deserted  him;  even  good-meaning 
people,  as  e.g.  the  inhabitants  of  Kegilah,  (1  Sam.  xxiii.)  deemed 
it  dangerous  to  hold  any  communion  whatsoever  with  the  exile. 
The  inactivity  on  the  part  of  our  friends  is  generally  accompanied, 
under  such  circumstances,  by  greater  inveteracy  on  the  part  of 
enemies.  Faith  is  much  strengthened  by  stating  all  this  to  a  God 
who  declares  it  to  be  his  peculiar  office  to  aid  the  orphan  and  the 
forsaken.  We  are  entitled  to  hope  for  the  aid  of  the  Lord,  accord- 
ing as  the  accusations  of  our  adversaries  are  unfounded,  and  every 
attempt  of  remonstrating  against  their  obduracy  and  cunning  is 
useless,  and  according  as  the  sufferer,  as  does  David,  absolutely 
commits  the  justice  of  his  cause  to  God  as  to  his  best  advocate. 
(Cf.  Isaiah  liii.  7;  1  Peter  ii.  23.)  Experience  confirms  it,  that  if 
we  have  to  deal  with  any  crafty  and  embittered  foes,  resigned  suf- 
fering is  more  likely  to  benefit  than  a  zealous  apprehension  of  our 
good  cause.  Suffering  of  this  kind  will  finally  disarm  our  adversa- 
ries, and  cause  the  better-minded  no  longer  to  persist  in  inactivity. 

F.  17 — 21.  His  enemies  are  exalted  and  rejoice,  while  he, 
hardly  able  to  prevent  a  deep  fall,  mourns  in  humility  and  peni- 
tence to  have  by  his  own  sins  adduced  such  severe  chastisements 
on  the  part  of  God.  He  prays  therefore  that  should  he  succumb 
to  their  unheard-of  attacks,  they  might  not  be  permitted  to  triumph 
over  him,  as  if  the  cause  of  the  godly  were  entirely  destroyed. 
Bearing  in  mind  that  the  eye  of  the  nation  was  fixed  on  David 
since  many  years,  and  all  were  waiting  for  the  final  issue  of  things, 
it  is  clear  that  his  total  defeat  would  be  interpreted  as  a  public 
signal  that  God  had  ceased  to  be  king  in  Israel.  To  show  more 
markedly  the  contrast  between  himself  and  his  enemies,  he  states 
that  so  far  from  having  by  any  fault  of  his  own  caused  their  animo- 
sity, they  had,  on  the  contrary,  even  stood  proof  of  shame  at  the 
displays  of  his  love  to  them.  God  hears  the  fervent  prayers  of  his 
children  for  the  visible  manifestation  of  his  attributes  now  as  he 
ever  did  of  old.  But  Christians  should  bear  in  mind  of  what 
manner  of  spirit  they  are,  (Luke  ix.  55,)  that  their  faith,  superior 
to  that  of  the  ancients,  ought  to  soar  above  the  things  seen  and 
temporal,  to  the  things  not  seen  and  eternal. 

F  22,  23.  He  grounds  his  prayer  for  the  assistance  of  God,  on 
the  magnitude  of  his  own  misery,  and  the  ready  acknowledgment 
of  his  guilt,  as  well  as  the  hard-hearted  arrogance  and  pride  of  his 
enemies,  and  confesses  that  his  sole  help  is  with  God. 


200  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XXXIX. 

A  PECULIAR  psalm  of  complaint,  containing  the  confession  of  des- 
perate struggle  of  soul,  which  resolves  itself  into  a  mournful  prayer. 
The  Psalmist  represents  the  fearful  extent  of  his  misery.  Words 
of  murmuring  and  accusation  against  God  had  arisen  in  his  soul, 
but  he  had  checked  their  eagerness  to  break  forth.  He  would  not 
for  his  own  sufferings'  sake  have  the  name  of  God  contemned,  and 
therefore  resolved  to  suppress  the  tumult  of  his  soul,  and  to  be 
silent,  (v.  13.)  But  the  commotion  of  his  heart  was  too  vehement. 
His  depression  burst  forth  once,  and  like  Job  he  wished  for  the 
end  of  his  life. 

Now  the  agitated  complaint  changes  into  humble  supplication. 
He  is  aware  of  the  shortness  of  this  sorrowful  life :  but  that  know- 
ledge is  no  solid  foundation  for  the  anchor  of  hope.  His  hesitating 
soul  regains  the  solid  and  well-known  foundation  in  his  God, 
(v.  6 — 8.)  He  will  humbly  hope  for  deliverance  from  the  Lord. 
The  Lord  is  sure  to  afford  some  joyous  moments,  just  because  the 
term  of  our  sorrowful  life  is  brief,  (v.  9 — 14.) 

the  chief  Musician  of  the  Jeduthunites,  A  Psalm 
of  David. 

2  I  said,  "I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways, 
That  I  sin  not  with  my  tongue : 

I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle, 
While  the  wicked  is  before  me." 

3  I  was  dumb  with  silence, 

I  held  my  peace  even  from  good ; 
And  my  sorrow  was  stirred. 

4  My  heart  was  hot  within  me, 
While  I  was  musing  the  fire  burned : 
Then  spake  I  with  my  tongue. 

5  "LORD,  make  me  to  know  mine  end, 
And  the  measure  of  my  days,  what  it  is ; 
That  I  may  know  what  time  I  have  here." 

6  Behold,  thou  hast  made  my  days  as  an  handbreadth;* 
And  mine  age  is  as  nothing  before  thee : 

Verily  every  man  at  his  best  state  is  altogether  vanity. 
Selah. 

7  Surely  every  man  walketh  in  a  vain  show : 
Surely  they  are  disquieted  in  vain : 

He  heapeth  up  riches,  and  knoweth  not  who  shall  gather 
them. 

*  Properly,  "Several  spans." 


PSALM   XXXIX.  201 

8  And  now,  Lord,  what  wait  I  for? 
My  hope  is  in  thee. 

9  Deliver  me  from  all  my  transgressions : 
Make  me  not  the  reproach  of  the  foolish: 

10  I  will  be  dumb,  I  will  not  open  my  mouth: 
For  thou  wilt  do  it  (well.) 

11  Remove  thy  stroke  away  from  me : 

I  am  consumed  by  the  blow  of  thine  hand. 

12  When  thou  with  rebukes  dost  correct  man  for  iniquity, 
Thou  makest  his  beauty  to  consume  away  as  by  the  moth : 
Surely  every  man  is  vanity.     Selah. 

13  Hear  my  prayer,  0  LORD, 
And  give  ear  unto  my  cry; 
Hold  not  thy  peace  at  my  tears : 
For  I  am  a  stranger  with  thee, 

And  a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers  were. 

14  0  spare  me,  that  I  may  recover  strength, 
Before  I  go  hence,  and  be  no  more. 

V.  2,  3.  How  true  and  graphic  is  this  description  of  inward 
struggle  in  hours  of  distress,  when  we  have  not  faith  enough  to 
humble  ourselves  before  God,  and  yet  are  not  sufficiently  unbe- 
lieving to  deny  him  before  his  enemies.  The  heart  will  then  not 
shrink  from  the  contradiction,  to  maintain  the  honour  of  the  Lord 
before  others,  and  to  deny  it  to  ourselves.  It  is  like  a  man  who 
seeks  to  master  a  monster  which  he  cannot  kill,  by  kneeling  on  its 
back :  its  roaring  has  ceased,  though  not  its  panting  and  groaning. 

V.  4,  5.  It  implied  a  greater  extremity  of  despair  in  the  case 
of  the  children  of  the  Old  Covenant  than  in  ours  (because  they 
lacked  our  clear  insight  into  the  future,)  to  renounce  earthly  exist- 
ence and  to  desire  death.  So  Job  exclaimed  in  his  deepest  wretch- 
edness, "  Oh,  that  I  might  have  my  request,  and  that  God  would 
grant  me  the  thing  that  I  long  for:  even  that  it  would  please  God 
to  destroy  me:  that  he  would  let  loose  his  hand  and  cut  me  off!" 
(Job  vi.  8,9.)  And  Elias,  "It -is  enough;  now,  0  Lord,  take 
away  my  life,  for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers."  (1  Kings  xix.  4.) 
And  Jonah,  "  Therefore  now,  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  take 
my  life  from  me;  for  it  is  better  for  me  to  die  than  to  live." 
(Jonah  iv.  3.)  The  fear  of  the  Lord  has  as  yet  prevented  David 
from  reaching  that  point  of  extremity  to  wish  straightway  for 
death:  in  his  then  state  of  mind  he  only  asked  to  know  when 
it  should  take  place. 

V.  6,  7.  He  no  longer  wishes  for  but  complains  of  the  near- 
ness of  death  and  the  frailty  of  human  life.  Prosperity  intoxicates 
men  to  a  security,  as  if  they  had  to  live  for  ever,  (Psalm  xlix.  12;) 


202  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

so  most  men  are,  even  in  old  age,  anxious  for  after  days — so  does 
the  covetousness  of  misers  increase  and  not  decrease  with  their 
years.  When  affliction  enters,  and  now  destroys  this  and  that 
foundation  of  prosperity,  the  nothingness  of  human  life  gets  soon 
apparent. 

F.  8.  Life  is  short  indeed,  and  no  sufferer  needs  to  anticipate 
centuries  of  misery.  If  prosperity  therefore  is  to  come  at  all,  it 
must  come  soon.  Hence  David  indulges  the  hope,  that  the  day 
of  joy  will  dawn  to  him  after  his  nights  of  sorrow.  He  depends 
not,  after  the  manner  of  the  worldly-minded,  upon  a  caprice  of  the 
goddess  of  fortune  or  chance — but  though  in  his  depression  he  felt 
half  inclined  to  forsake  the  Lord,  he  patiently  returns  to  him, 
knowing  that  the  destinies  of  man  are  lodged  in  his  hand,  to  place 
his  hope  in  him. 

V.  9 — 12.  His  challenge  of  God  is  transmuted  into  prayer,  the 
answer  of  which  he  means  silently  and  trustfully  to  wait  for.  He 
acquaints  God  with  his  grief:  he  describes  his  beauty  to  have  van- 
ished by  his  stealthily  consuming  grief  of  the  chastisement  of  God, 
like  the  beauty  of  a  garment  by  the  secret  gnawing  of  a  moth. 
This  has  taught  him  the  frailty  of  man. 

F.  13,  14.  He  seeks  by  this  representation  also  to  move  the 
heart  of  God  to  mercy.  Man  traverses  life  like  a  pilgrim  and  a 
stranger,  making  but  a  short  stay:  the  law  has  enjoined  kindness 
to  strangers.  (Exod.  xxii.  21;  Lev.  xix.  10.)  It  is  said  that  "the 
Lord  preserveth  the  strangers,  he  relieveth  the  fatherless  and 
widow."  (Psalm  cxlvi.  9.)  He  asks  whether  he,  a  stranger  of 
God  on  earth,  (Job  x.  2,)  may  not  hope  for  seasons  of  joy  and 
refreshing.  Though  those  who  know  that  this  life  is  a  time  of  dis- 
cipline and  probation  for  the  next,  are  not  surprised  that  the 
draught  of  our  earthly  cup  is  mixed  of  bitter  herbs  only,  still  it  is 
to  be  remembered  that  God  knows  the  weakness  of  the  human 
mind — that  we  are  dust  and  ashes — and  that  therefore  it  cannot 
be  deemed  a  wrongful  prayer  to  pray  with  David,  that  God  would, 
by  the  infusion  of  a  few  sweet  drops,  render  the  bitter  draught 
more  palatable.  "As  all  my  fathers  were/'  probably  refers  to  the 
confessions  of  Abraham  and  Jacob.  (Gen.  xxiii.  4;  xlvii.  9;  Heb. 
xi.  13.)  In  similar  terms  David  says  (1  Chron.  xxix.  14,  15,) 
after  the  humble  confession,  that  the  costly  material,  which  he  had 
procured  for  the  building  of  the  Temple,  was  really  the  property  of 
God,  "  For  we  are  strangers  before  thee  and  sojourners,  as  were  all 
our  fathers :  our  days  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is 
none  abiding." 


PSALM  XI..  203 


PSALM  XL. 

A  PSALM  like  Psalm  ix.  simultaneously  expressive  of  gratitude  and 
complaint.  Gratitude  for  deliverance  is  the  leading  sentiment; 
then  follows  the  cry  for  help  in  view  of  impending  dangers;  and 
in  verse  18  there  ensues  a  final  calm.  The  portion  of  the  psalm 
which  begins  with  verse  14,  occurs  in  Psalm  Ixx.  in  a  separate 
form.  Situations  such  as  this  psalm  presumes  them,  in  which 
danger  and  persecution  were  still  threatening  after  remarkable 
deliverances,  constantly  occurred  in  the  life  of  David  during  this 
flight  before  Saul.  He  had  scarcely  retired  from  the  town  of 
Kegilah  to  the  wilderness  of  Siph,  before  the  Siphites  send  word 
to  Saul :  having  afterwards  escaped  from  Saul  into  the  wilderness 
of  Maon  and  fled  to  Engedi,  Saul  pursued  him  as  far  as  there : 
having  in  the  wilderness  of  Siph  escaped  from  Saul  a  second 
time,  he  is  so  depressed  at  the  snares  and  persecutions  which  com- 
passed him  on  every  hand,  that  weary  of  the  unceasing  chase  and 
flight,  he  says,  "  I  shall  now  perish  one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul : 
there  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that  I  should  speedily  escape 
into  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  and  Saul  shall  despair  of  me  to 
seek  me  any  more  in  any  coast  of  Israel,  so  shall  I  escape  out  of 
his  hand/'  (1  Sam.  xxvii.  1.) 

With  a  solemn  and  grateful  mind  he  praises  the  deliverance  he 
has  just  experienced,  (v.  2 — 5:)  contemplating  his  manifold  expe- 
rience of  the  marvellous  love  of  God,  he  ardently  desires  worthily 
to  thank  the  Lord;  and  knowing  that  sacrifice  of  itself  is  not  suf- 
ficient, he  promises  to  render  the  sacrifice  of  himself,  of  his  will, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  law,  besides  his  cheerful  tes- 
timony to  the  justice,  goodness,  and  faithfulness  of  God  in  the  con- 
gregation, (v.  6 — 11.)  Now  for  the  first  time  remembering  the 
uncertain  soil  of  the  present,  he  sends  up  his  fervent  petitions 
(v.  13 — 17,)  and  concludes  with  a  calmed  mind,  (v.  18.) 


i  np< 


the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


2  I  waited  patiently  for  the  LORD  ; 

And  he  inclined  unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry. 

3  He  brought  me  up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit, 
Out  of  the  miry  clay, 

And  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock, 
And  established  my  goings. 

4  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
Even  praise  unto  our  God : 


204  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Many  shall  see  it,  and  fear, 
And  shall  trust  in  the  LORD. 

5  Blessed  is  that  man  that  maketh  the  LORD  his  trust, 
And  respectethnot  the  proud,  nor  such  as  turn  aside  to  lies. 

6  Many,  0  LORD  my  God,  are  thy  wonderful  works  which 

thou  hast  done, 

And  thy  thoughts  which  are  to  us-ward: 
Nothing  can  be  compared  unto  thee  (or  "be  made  like :") 
I  would  declare  and  speak  of  them  but  they  are  more 

than  can  be  numbered. 

7  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not  desire; 

Mine  ears  hast  thou  opened*  (i.  e.  thou  hast  revealed  it 

to  me :) 
Burnt  offering  and  sin  offering  hast  thou  not  required. 

8  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  comeif 

In  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me, 

9  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my  God : 
Yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart. 

10  I  have  preached  righteousness  in  the  great  congregation : 
Lo,  I  have  not  refrained  my  lips,  0  LORD,  thou  knowest. 

11  I  have  not  hid  thy  righteousness  within  my  heart ; 
I  have  declared  thy  faithfulness  and  thy  salvation : 

I  have  not  concealed  thy  loving-kindness  and  thy  truth 
from  the  great  congregation. 

12  Withold  not  thou  thy  tender  mercies  from  me,  0  LORD  : 
Let  thy  loving-kindness  and  thy  truth  continually  pre- 
serve me. 

13  For  innumerable  evils  have  compassed  me  about: 
Mine  iniquities  have  taken  hold  upon  me, 

So  that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up ; 

They  are  more  than  the  hairs  of  mine  head : 

Therefore  my  heart  forsaketh  me. 

14  Be  pleased,  0  LORD,  to  deliver  me : 
0  LORD,  make  haste  to  help  me. 

*  /.  e.  The  inward  ear;  another  figure  is,  The  awakening  of  the  ear. 
(Isaiah  1.  4.) 

f  f^  denotes  here,  Succession  in  time,  (Jer.  xxii.  15;  Ps.  Ivi.  10.)  hjn&2 
is  explained  by  Kimchi,  by  supplying  spjjg}*),  and  that  not  in  the  temple  only, 
(Ps.  Ixv.  3;  Ixxi.  16;  xcv.  6.)  Stier  compares  less  happily  hp^  with 
Numb.  xxii.  38;  2  Sam.  xix.  21. 


PSALM  XL.  205 

/  .£ 

15  Let  them  be  ashamed  and  confounded  together 
That  seek  after  my  soul  to  destroy  it ; 

Let  them  be  be  driven  backward  and  put  to  shame 
That  wish  me  evil. 

16  Let  them  be  desolate  for  a  reward  of  their  shame 
That  say  unto  me,  Aha !  aha ! 

17  Let  all  those  that  seek  thee 
Eejoice  and  be  glad  in  thee: 
Let  such  as  love  thy  salvation 

Say  continually,  "The  LORD  be  magnified." 

18  But  I  am  poor  and  needy; 

Yet  the  LORD  thinketh  upon  me : 
Thou  art  my  help  and  my  deliverer ; 
Make  no  tarrying,  0  my  God. 

F.  2 — 4.  David  describes  his  anguish  and  peril  of  life,  by  the 
figure  of  a  man  who,  e.  g.  like  Joseph  or  Jeremiah,  having  been 
thrown  into  a  cistern,  sinks  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  mire.  (Cf. 
ad.  Ps.  Ixix.  3.)  When  the  Lord  had  stretched  out  his  mighty 
hand  to  him,  he  felt  like  one  who,  delivered  from  such  a  perilous 
situation,  has  by  some  helping  hand  been  set  upon  a  rock.  He 
projects  to  celebrate  this  new  theme  in  new  accents,  and  rejoices 
in  the  thought  that  his  own  experience  should  prove  subservient 
to  the  piety  of  others. 

F.  5.  Those  who  are  strongly  attached  to  appearances  are  prone 
rather  to  cling  to  the  mighty  ones  on  earth  whom  they  see,  than 
to  God  whom  they  do  not  see.  But  while  "He  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally  and  upbraideth  not,"  they  are  proud — while  He  is  faithful, 
they  deal  in  lies.  How  much  better  to  trust  in  God  than  in  man ! 

F.  6 — 9.  This  one  experience  opens  to  David  the  wonders  of 
Divine  mercy  in  general.  Who  can  vividly  realize  them,  without 
feeling  constrained  to  proclaim  them  to  a  blinded  world,  that  pass 
them  day  after  day  without  seeing  or  hearing  them  ?  David  is 
thus  constrained,  but  is  none  of  those  who  consider  that  words 
alone  can  do  it.  He  not  only  knows  the  insufficiency  of  human 
speech  in  these  matters,  but  is  equally  conscious  that  gratitude 
needs  works  as  the  concomitants  of  words.  In  his  relation  to  God 
he  is  not  satisfied  with  those  works  which  suffice  to  the  great  mass 
of  mankind.  He  has  not  forgotten  the  saying  of  Samuel,  his  fatherly 
friend,  that  "to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,"  (1  Sam.  xv.  22  ;)  nor 
received  it  on  human  authority,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  has  confirmed 
it  to  his  mind.  Whatever  name  the  different  kinds  of  sacrifice 
may  bear,  he  knows  that  they  are  the  symbols  of  the  self-sacrifice 
of  man.  Man  offers  them  with  an  obscure  feeling  that  the  sacrifice 
of  his  will  is  as  yet  incomplete.  On  that  account  David  testifies 
18 


206  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

before  the  Lord,  that  he  has  sacrificed  his  own  will  and  adopted  the 
Divine  as  his,  and  that  the  law  of  God  is  for  him  not  only  inscribed 
upon  the  tables  of  stone,  but  written  upon  his  heart.  But,  it  is 
asked,  how  can  David  say  so,  since  he  immediately  after  declares 
that  "his  iniquities  are  more  than  the  hairs  on  his  head"?  The 
Spirit  of  God,  we  answer,  had  certainly  put  these  sublime  words 
into  the  mouth  of  David,  which  in  their  fullest  sense,  however, 
could  only  be  uttered  by  the  Son  of  God,  who  said,  "I  seek  the 
will  of  my  Father,"  and,  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me."  Just  at  that  moment,  when  he  had  soared  aloft  in 
prayer,  the  expression  may  have  been  true  of  David  (for  imperfect 
man  may  bring  such  sacrifices  of  self  in  his  prayers;)  but  in  his 
life  it  was  a  truth  of  only  gradual  development.  Christ,  however, 
who  became  man  to  lay  down  his  life  for  man  by  the  perfect 
resignation  of  his  will,  could  in  the  fullest  sense  say,  "  Sacrifice 
and  offering  thou  wouldest  not,  but  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me," 
(Heb.  x.  5,)  i.  e.  for  sacrifice — for  he  made  a  sacrifice  to  God  of 
the  life  he  lived  in  the  body,  and  of  the  body  itself. 

V.  10,  11.  Gratitude  is  to  be  an  act;  but  who  that  experiences 
gratitude  can  repress  the  words  f  Though  the  wonders  of  Divine 
mercy  cannot  be  numbered,  should  we  not  count  as  many  as  we 
are  able?  So  David  deems  it  his  duty  to  preach  to  the  godly, 
that  the  mercy  of  God,  which  has  yielded  so  much  fruit  to  him, 
may  likewise  yield  fruit  to  others. 

V.  12,  13.  While  speaking  of  the  past  love  and  faithfulness  of 
God,  he  is  reminded  of  the  present  and  the  immediate  future 
before  him,  and  feels  how  little  he  can  spare  the  continuance  of 
that  love  and  faithfulness.  He  has  formed  lofty  views  of  the 
duties  of  the  godly,  and  expressed  his  heart's  desire  that  his  own 
will  should  be  absorbed  by  that  of  God;  but  this  only  causes  him 
to  pass  a  more  severe  sentence  on  his  past  life,  to  recognize  the 
hand  of  a  just  God  in  his  sufferings,  however  undeserved  they 
might  appear  to  human  eyes,  and  to  measure  the  number  of  his 
offences  by  the  number  of  his  sufferings.  These  expressions  fur- 
nish the  clue,  why  afflictions,  which  less  conscientious  men  could 
have  better  borne  than  David,  so  completely  prostrated  him. 

V.  14 — 18.  With  a  humble  and  contrite  heart  he  now  cries 
for  help,  and  summoning  his  adversaries  before  the  Divine  judg- 
ment-seat, enumerates  the  proofs  of  their  inhuman  disposition : 
they  aim  at  his  life,  rejoice  at  his  tears,  and  every  new  disaster 
which  befalls  him.  On  the  other  hand,  he  infers  from  his  past 
experiences  the  exultation  to  which  his  own  deliverance  would  give 
rise  among  the  children  of  God,  confesses  the  Lord  as  his  all- 
sufficient  help,  and  prays,  weakened  by  the  endless  chain  of  afflic- 
tion, for  the  speedy  forthcoming  of  that  help. 


PSALM  XLI.  207 


PSALM  XLI. 

A  PLAINTIVE  psalm  composed  in  sickness,  which  was  attended  by 
the  haughtiness  of  enemies  and  the  faithlessness  of  friends.  It  can- 
not well  fall  into  the  period  of  David's  reign,  because  it  is  impro- 
bable that  such  potent  adversaries  should  have  surrounded  the 
king,  or  if  they  had,  he  would  no  doubt  from  the  sick-bed  have 
concerted  means  to  check  their  malice.  It  is  therefore  better  to 
refer  it  to  the  period  of  his  residence  at  the  court  of  Saul.  We 
know  that  he  was  there  surrounded  by  crafty  men,  who  in  every 
way  sought  to  calumniate  him  with  the  king,  (v.  7.)  It  is  by  no 
means  improbable  that  his  friends  and  associates  dealt  with  him 
in  a  hostile  manner,  though  there  is  no  historic  record  to  that 
effect.  Psalm  Ixix.  refers  to  similar  circumstances,  (cf.  verse  21.) 
The  Psalmist,  conscious  of  his  desertion,  promises  the  reward  of 
blessing  to  those  who  will  espouse  the  cause  of  the  afflicted  in 
their  time  of  calamity,  (v.  2 — 4 :)  previous  to  presenting  his  peti- 
tion to  the  Lord,  he  confesses  his  readiness  to  regard  his  disease  as 
a  well-merited  chastisement,  (v.  5 :)  he  complains  of  the  cunning 
of  enemies,  that  his  friends  cannot  be  depended  upon,  (v.  6 — 10,) 
and  prays  for  health  for  the  purpose  of  punishing  the  faithless,  and 
of  knowing  thereby  that  the  Lord  has  not  wholly  cast  him  off, 
(v.  11—13.) 


1  fFO 


the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


2  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor: 
The  LORD  will  deliver  him  in  the  day  of  evil. 

3  The  LORD  will  preserve  him,  and  keep  him  alive ; 
And  he  shall  be  blessed  upon  the  earth : 

And  thou   wilt  not   deliver   him  unto  the  will  of  his 
enemies. 

4  The  LORD  will  strengthen  him  upon  the  bed  of  languishing : 
Thou  wilt  turn  all  his  bed  in  his  sickness. 

5  I  said,  LORD,  be  merciful  unto  me: 

Heal  my  soul;  for  I  have  sinned  against  thee. 

6  Mine  enemies  speak  evil  of  me, 

"When  shall  he  die,  and  his  name  perish?" 

7  And  if  they  come  to  see   me,  they  speak  vanity  (or, 

"falsehood":) 

Their  heart  gathereth  iniquity, 
They  go  abroad  and  tell  it. 

8  All  that  hate  me  whisper  together  against  me : 
Against  me  do  they  devise  my  hurt. 


208  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

9  "An  evil  disease,"  say  they,  "cleaveth  fast  unto  him: 
And  now  that  he  lieth  he  shall  rise  up  no  more." 

10  Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom  I  trusted,  which 

did  eat  of  my  bread, 
Hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me. 

11  But  thou,  0  LORD,  be  merciful  unto  me, 
And  raise  me  up,  that  I  may  requite  them. 

12  By  this  I  know  that  thou  favourest  me. 
That  mine  enemy  shall  not  triumph  over  me. 

13  But  as  for  me,  thou  upholdest  me  in  mine  integrity, 
And  settest  me  before  thy  face  for  ever. 

Blessed  be  the  LORD  God  of  Israel 

From  everlasting,  and  to  everlasting.    Amen,  and  Amen. 

V.  2 — 10.  The  kind  of  recompense  which  the  Psalmist  ex- 
pressed in  verse  4,  shows  that  he  understands  by  the  poor,  one 
afflicted  with  disease.  He  prefaces  his  petition  with  the  confession 
of  his  guilt,  because  the  lenity  of  the  judgment  of  God  is  propor- 
tionate to  the  severity  with  which  we  judge  ourselves.  By  his 
enemies  we  have  to  understand  such  courtiers  as  disliked  David, 
partly  on  account  of  his  piety,  partly  on  account  of  the  high  position 
he  held  at  court.  They  cannot,  without  a  breach  of  etiquette,  omit 
to  visit  him  in  the  sick-chamber,  but  they  partly  contort  his  sayings 
to  calumniate  him  with  the  king,  and  partly  rejoice  at  his  sufferings. 
The  expression  "  to  lift  up  the  heel/'  which  David  says  of  his  friend, 
is  equivalent  to  "to  strike  out  (kick)  against  one/'  (Gen.  xlix.  17,) 
and  denotes  cunning  insolence.  Our  Lord's  (John  xiii.  18)  apply- 
ing this  passage  to  Judas,  must  be  taken  in  a  typical  sense;  and  it 
may  be  worth  noticing  that  our  Saviour  omits  the  words,  "in  whom 
I  trusted ." 

V.  11 — 13.  The  words,  "that  I  may  requite  them/'  seem  to 
express  personal  vindictive  desires,  and  to  contradict  the  sentiment 
of  Psalm  xxxv.  13.  Most  interpreters  regard  the  Psalmist  as 
speaking  in  his  capacity  of  king,  and  contemplating  as  such  the 
exercise  of  legal  punishment.  But  was  it  necessary  that  he  should 
for  that  purpose  wait  for  the  restoration  of  his  health?  Personal 
vindictive  feeling  can  hardly  be  denied;  but  all  depends  upon  the 
kind  of  recompense  which  he  desired.  He  may  have  simply  meant 
to  say  that  he  intended  to  part  with  his  faithless  friend,  and  to 
cause  the  king  or  other  influential  persons  to  punish  his  cunning 
enemies,  which  would  be  a  degree  of  revenge  by  no  means  unpar- 
donable. Looking  upon  his  sickness  as  a  Divine  chastisement, 
he  determines  to  regard  his  recovery  as  an  evidence  of  the  continued 
favour  of  God.  The  doxology  which  occurs  at  the  end  of  this 
Psalm  was  added  by  transcribers,  who  thus  concluded  the  first  book 
of  the  Psalms.  (Cf.  Psalms  Ixxii.  Ixxxix.  cvi.) 


PSALMS  XLII.  XLIII.  209 


PSALMS  XLII.    XLIII. 

THESE  two  psalms  of  complaint  make  up,  as  show  the  recurring 
verses  xlii.  6.  12,  xliii.  6,  one  whole.  The  voice  of  longing  for 
the  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem  is  heard  in  the  regions  of  Lebanon. 
To  infer  from  the  title,  the  exile  seems  to  be  a  Korahite  Levite. 
Similar  yearnings  occur  in  Psalms  Ixi.  Ixiii.  Ixxxiv.  Psalm  Ixxxiv. 
notices  the  striking  circumstance  that  the  banished  Korahite,  who 
longs  for  the  sanctuary,  shares  the  exile  of  a  king,  and  expresses 
his  anxiety  to  return  conjointly  with  the  king,  and  quasi  in  the 
soul  of  that  king.  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  applies  to  no  other  king  than  to 
David  on  his  flight  before  Absalom  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  Ixxxiv.)  beyond 
Jordan :  this  favours  the  presumption  that  the  mourning  Levite  of 
this  Psalm  sang  on  the  same  occasion  in  the  soul  of  the  aggrieved 
king.  2  Sam.  xv.  24,  states  that  Levites  accompanied  David  on  his 
flight :  the  ark  of  the  covenant  which  they  bore  was  certainly  by 
order  of  the  king  taken  back  to  the  city,  but  it  does  not  follow  from 
that  circumstance  that  all  the  Levites  returned.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  state  another  occasion  when  a  Levite  was  exiled  just  in  the  region 
beyond  Jordan,*  while  the  description  of  the  locality  agrees  with 
David's*  residence  at  Mahanaim.  David's  longing  for  the  sanctuary 
is  known  from  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  and  other  Psalms.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps. 
Ixxxiv.)  While  the  Psalm  begins  with  a  deep  sense  of  yearning 
for  the  place  where  the  bard  had  enjoyed  rich  communings  with 
God,  rebellious  enemies  mockingly  tell  him  that  his  God  has  forsaken 
him,  (v.  2 — 4.)  He  comforts  himself  to  some  extent  by  the  recol- 
lection of  the  former  beautiful  seasons  of  worship  (v.  5,)  and  soothes 
his  moved  soul  with  the  firm  belief  that  help  is  sure  to  come,  (v.  6.) 
Scarcely  soothed,  grief  bursts  forth  anew :  the  land  of  his  exile,  the 
perpetual  rushing  of  the  mountain  streams,  furnish  a  figure  of  his 
great  grief.  But  since  the  Lord  daily  and  hourly  provides  to  his 
people  opportunities  of  praise,  the  Psalmist  directs  his  plaintive 
cries  unto  him,  and  by  the  exercise  of  faith  succeeds  once  more  to 
appease  his  troubled  heart,  (v.  9 — 12.)  But  his  grief  rises  a  third 
time,  and  streams  forth  in  loud  cries  for  help,  until  the  same  refrain 
brings  for  the  third  time  peace  to  his  mind.  (Ps.  xliii.  1 — 5.) 

(PSALM  xlii.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  and  instruction  of  the  Sons  of 
1       Korah.f 

2  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks, 
So  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  0  God. 

*  According  to  Ewald,  the  Psalmist  was,  on  the  transport  to  Babylon, 
detained  for  a  night  in  the  vicinity  of  Hermon.  (?) 

f  Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xxxii.  1.  Perhaps  with  reference  to  practical  wisdom  of 
life.  (Cf.  b^to  Jos.  i.  8.) 

18*  ' 


210  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

8  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God : 
When  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God. 

4  My  tears  have  been  my  meat  day  and  night, 

While  they  continually  say  unto  me,  "  Where  is  thy  God  1" 

5  When  I  remember  these  things,  I  pour  out  my  soul  in  me : 
How  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude,  I  went  with  them  to 

the  house  of  God, 
With  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise, 
With  a  multitude  that  keep  holy  day. 

6  WHY  ART  THOU  CAST  DOWN,  0  MY  SOUL  ? 
AND  WHY  ART  THOU  DISQUIETED  IN  ME  ? 

HOPE  THOU  IN  GOD  :  FOR  I  SHALL  YET  PRAISE  HIM, 

WHO  IS  THE  HEALTH  OF  MY  COUNTENANCE,  AND  MY  GOD. 

7  My  soul  is  cast  down  within  me : 

Whilst  I  remember  thee  from  the  land  of  Jordan,  and 

from  the  mountains  of  Hermon, 
From  the  little  hill. ) 

8  Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  thy  waterspouts ; 
All  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me. 

9  Yet  the  LORD  will  command  his  loving-kindness  in  the 

daytime, 

And  in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with  me, 
And  my  prayer  unto  the  God  of  my  life.f 

10  I  will  say  unto  God  my  rock,  Why  hast  thou  forgotten  me  ? 
Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the 

enemy  ? 

11  As  with  a  sword  in  my  bones,  mine  enemies  reproach  me ; 
While  they  say  daily  unto  me,  "Where  is  thy  God?" 

12  WHY  ART  THOU  CAST  DOWN,  0  MY  SOUL  ? 
AND  WHY  ART  THOU  DISQUIETED  WITHIN  ME? 

HOPE  THOU  IN  GOD  :  FOR  I  SHALL  YET  PRAISE  HIM, 

WHO  IS  THE  HEALTH  OF  MY  COUNTENANCE,  AND  MY  GOD. 
(PSALM  xliii.) 

1   TUDGE  me,  0  God,  and  plead  my  cause 
J     Against  an  ungodly  nation : 
0  deliver  me  from  deceitful  and  unjust  men. 

f  Should  the  transition  from  the  complaint  in  v.  8  appear  too  sudden, 
interpret:  "The  day  will  bring  help,  and  at  night  I  shall  be  able  to  give 
thanks."  (Cf.  Ps.  Ixvi.  17.)  "I  cried  unto  him  with  my  mouth,  and  now 
I  extol  him  with  my  tongue."  This  interpretation  regards  fij&tl  as  a  prayer 
of  thanksgiving.  T  '  : 


PSALM  XLIII.  211 

2  For  tliou  art  the  God  of  my  strength: 
Why  dost  thou  cast  me  off? 

Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the 
enemy  ? 

3  0  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth : 
Let  them  lead  me ; 

Let  them  bring  me  unto  thy  holy  hill,  and  to  thy  taber- 
nacles. 

4  Then  will  I  go  unto  the  altar  of  God, 
Unto  God  my  exceeding  joy: 

,   ^  And  upon  the  harp  will  I  praise  thee, 
0  God,  my  God. 

5  WHY  ART  THOU  CAST  DOWN,  0  MY  SOUL  ? 
AND  WHY  ART  THOU  DISQUIETED  WITHIN  ME  ? 

HOPE  IN  GOD  :  FOR  I  SHALL  YET  PRAISE  HIM, 

WHO  IS  THE  HEALTH  OF  MY  COUNTENANCE,  AND  MY  GoD. 
(PSALM  xlii.) 

V.  2 — 4:.  The  outward  sanctuary  was  the  tie  which  united 
the  godly  and  their  God :  there  they  enjoyed  the  happiest  hours  in 
holy  communion  with  him.  Hence  this  strong  yearning  for  the 
sanctuary.  The  Psalmist  compares  the  complaints  of  his  longing 
to  the  panting  of  a  thirsty  hart;  so  incessant  is  the  flow  of  his 
tears,  that  his  bread  is  steeped  in  them.  Mockers  sneer  at  his 
king's  trust  in  God,  whose  cause  he  has  identified  with  his  own. 

V.  5,  6.  The  present  being  painful,  and  the  future  uncertain, 
his  troubled  mind  reverts  to  the  past,  and  he  enjoys  once  more  in 
memory  the  delights  of  the  communion  of  the  children  of  God 
before  his  countenance.  That  retrospect  elicits  tears,  but  they  are 
at  once  expressive  of  grief  and  joy.  The  realization  of  the  past 
mercy  of  God,  accompanied  by  the  thought  of  his  unchanging  char- 
acter, gives  rise  to  hope  for  the  future,  and  he  gains  a  sufficient 
amount  of  strength  to  address  and  comfort  his  soul. 

V.  7,  8.  The  grief  of  a  deeply  afflicted  soul  is  like  a  wave  of 
the  sea,  which  now  sinks,  but  immediately  lifts  itself  again.  So 
grief  returns  on  his  beholding  the  place  of  his  exile.*  It  was  in 

*  The  name,  "The  land  of  Jordan,"  is  used  not  to  designate  the  source 
of  Jordan,  but  because  Canaan  proper  did  not  extend  beyond  Jordan, 
(v.  Roland's  Palestine,  p.  4.)  This  name  denotes  therefore  the  exile  remote 
from  Canaan.  The  Hermon  of  the  ancients  is,  according  to  Seezen,  the 
same  as  the  modern  Heish  mountains.  On  Robinson's  map  Mahanaim  is 
certainly  some  miles  distant  from  the  Heish  mountains,  in  the  mountains 
of  Gilead ;  but  Lebanon,  Hermon,  and  Gilead  form  a  connected  chain,  or 
may  at  least  be  regarded  as  such,  as  appears  from  Bochard's  testimony 
quoted  in  Bachiene's  description  of  Palestine,  vol.  i.  1,  J  126.  The  use  of 

the  plural  CD^fc^ri  shows  indeed  that  Hermon  in  a  wide  and  not  in  the 
narrow  sense  is  meant. 


212  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  mountains  of  Gilead,  beyond  the  frontiers  of  Canaan — a  coun- 
try rich  in  natural  wonders.  But  what  are  the  beauties  of  nature 
to  a  soul  that  is  conscious  of  being  exiled  from  the  sanctuary  of 
God?  Beauteous  nature  round  about,  with  its  mountain  streams, 
where  one  gush  of  water  seems  uproariously  to  call  for  the  next, 
is  to  him  a  figure  of  the  billows  of  adversity,  which  had  gone  over 
him.  The  most  beautiful  scenery  appears  to  a  saddened  heart  as 
clad  in  mourning  apparel,  while  a  simple  pasture  may  tune  a  glad- 
dened one  to  exultant  joy. 

F.  9 — 12.  Those  who  are  rich  in  past  experience  possess  in  it 
an  eminence  from  which  they  may  also  enjoy  genial  prospects  of  the 
future.  Strengthened  by  the  contemplation  of  the  past,  he  acquaints 
God,  who  had  so  often  proved  himself  to  be  his  rock,  with  his 
grief,  and  above  all  with  his  great  sorrow,  harder  to  bear  than 
death  itself,  that  his  enemies  deride  his  faith,  and  for  the  second 
time  he  allays  the  tumult  of  his  mind. 

(PSALM  xliii.) 

F.  1 — 5.  Soliloquy  has  ceased;  he  invokes  Divine  aid  in  a 
state  of  mind  which  almost  borders  on  despair.  Neither  transient 
enjoyment  nor  temporal  good,  but  the  delights  of  worship  and  the 
praise  of  God,  which  sounds  so  feebly  at  a  distance  from  the  accus- 
tomed sanctuary,  occasion  his  painful  yearnings  for  Zion.  Having 
thus  committed  his  cause  to  the  Lord,  he  succeeds  for  the  last  time 
to  appease  his  troubled  soul. 


PSALM  XLIV. 

A  SONG  of  complaint,  which  probably  belongs  to  the  period  when 
Nebuchadnezzar  carried  away  Jehoiachin  the  king  and  thirty-two 
noble  Israelites  into  captivity.  Many  commentators  have  explained 
v.  10 — 17  and  v.  20  as  descriptive  of  the  condition  of  the  Jews  in 
exile;  this  view  is  not  correct,  for  v.  6 — 8  seems  to  point  to  the 
hope  of  victory;  nothing  is  said  about  the  destruction  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  the  people  were  then  far  from  regarding  the  judgments 
of  God  as  unmerited  on  their  part,  which  they  were  called  upon  to 
endure  for  the  sake  of  God,  as  v.  21 — 23  state.  Many  expressions 
in  books,  which  originated  in  the  exile,  prove  the  contrary,  (Ezra 
ix.  7.  13;  Neh.  i.  6;  ix.  30.  33;  xiii.  18;  Lam.  i.  8.  18.  22; 
iv.  6.  13 — 15;  v.  16;  Dan.  ix.  4,  etc.f)  expressions  differing  from 
those  employed  here  occur  also  in  Psalms  Ixxix.  6;  Ixxxv.  3. 
The  two  characteristics  of  this  psalm  are  the  captivity  and  the  deep 


PSALM  XLIV.  213 

humiliation  of  the  people,  and  the  consciousness  that  idolatry  was 
not  the  cause  of  their  sore  trial.  For  on  an  inspection  of  the  epoch 
from  Josiah  to  the  captivity,  with  a  view  to  find  the  time  when  the 
king  and  the  nation  were  not  adicted  to  idolatry,  and  yet  visited 
with  great  calamities  and  captivity,  it  appears  there  is  none, 
except  that  of  the  carrying  away  of  king  Jehoiachin.  Several 
prisoners  had  been  carried  to  Bahylon  during  the  reign  of  Jehoia- 
kim,  (Dan.  i.  3,  etc,}  but  they  were  few.  (Of.  Introd.  to  Ps.  Ixxiv.) 
Verses  12 — 17  apply  to  the  days  of  Jehoiachin  or  Zedekiah  only. 
It  cannot  fall  under  the  government  of  the  latter  (e.  g.  the  period 
when  Jerusalem  was  besieged  by  the  generals  of  Nebuchadnezzar,) 
because  the  nobility  and  priests  were  then  guilty  of  gross  idolatry, 
which  was  committed  in  the  temple  itself,  (Ezraviii.;  2  Chron. 
xxxvi.  14;  see  Introd.  to  Psalm  Ixxiv.)  and  because  Jeremiah 
expressly  states  that  the  destruction  of  the  city  took  place  for  idol- 
atry's sake.  (Jer.  xxii.  9.)  Though  (2  Chron.  xxxvi.  9,)  it  is 
stated  that  Jehoiachin,  during  the  three  months  of  his  government, 
"did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,"  it  is  apparent 
from  the  description  in  Jer.  xxii.  10,  etc.  of  the  kings  after  Josiah, 
that  the  youthful  king  Jehoiachin,  mourned  for  by  many,  had,  in 
accordance  with  the  immutable  counsel  of  God,  to  suffer  for  the 
sins  of  the  nation.  Nothing  else  is  mentioned  of  Shallum,  the  son 
of  Josiah,  who  immediately  after  his  accession  to  the  throne  was 
by  Necho  in  his  early  youth  taken  a  captive  to  Egypt.  Of  Jehoia- 
kim  who  in  his  pride  built  lofty  palaces,  extorted  the  people,  shed 
innocent  blood,  and  oppressed  the  land,  it  is  said,  "They  shall  not 
lament  for  him,  saying,  Ah,  my  brother !  or,  Ah,  my  sister !  they 
shall  not  lament  for  him,  saying,  Ah,  lord !  or,  Ah,  his  glory ! 
He  shall  be  buried  with  the  burial  of  an  ass,  drawn  and  cast  forth 
beyond  the  gates  of  Jerusalem."  But  concerning  Jehoiachin,  (or 
Coniah,)  the  people  lament:  "Is  this  man  a  despised,  broken  idol? 
is  he  a  vessel  wherein  is  no  pleasure  ?  wherefore  are  they  cast  out, 
he  and  his  seed,  and  are  cast  into  a  land  which  they  know  not  ? 
Now  idolatry  had  ceased  already  in  the  days  of  Jehoiakim,  and  it 
is  said,  (2  Kings  xxiv.  3,  4,)  that  he  was  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemies  for  the  sins  of  idolatrous  Manasseh.  How  natural 
therefore  was  it  for  a  pious  man  during  the  reign  of  innocent 
Jehoiachin  to  say  that  affliction  had  come  upon  them  not  on  account 
of  their  iniquities ! 

At  a  time  when  the  land  was  laid  desolate  by  the  devastations 
of  the  foe,  (v.  20,)  while  the  foe  was  still  in  its  borders,  (v.  17,) 
much  people  destroyed  by  him,  and  Israel  deeply  humiliated, 
(v.  12 — 17,)  the  thoughts  of  the  Levite  singer  revert  to  the 
ancient  works  of  God,  to  the  period  when  the  Lord  was  still 
favouring  his  people,  (v.  2 — 4;)  he  consoles  himself  by  remember- 
ing that  the  same  God  is  still  King,  and  able  to  give  victory  to 
those  who  rely  not  on  their  own  strength,  but  confide  in  his 


214  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

strong  arm,  (v.  5 — 9.)  He  successively  contemplates  the  shame 
which  the  Lord  has  suffered  to  come  upon  his  people;  he  thinks 
of  their  routed  armies,  of  their  ignominious  captivity,  of  the  foe  in 
their  borders,  (v.  10 — 17,)  and  all  this  (which  the  Lord  had 
threatened  as  their  punishment  if  they  forsook  him,  Deut.  iv. 
25 — 27;  xxviii.  37,)  now  at  a  time  when  the  nation  clings  close  to 
her  God,  (v.  18 — 23.)  He  then  cries,  almost  despairingly,  for 
help,  (v.  24,)  but  concludes  with  a  humble  prayer  for  mercy,  (v.  25.) 


i  nn 


0  the  Chief  Musician,  A  Poem  of  the  sons  of  Korah. 


2  We  have  heard  with  our  ears,  0  God, 
Our  fathers  have  told  us, 

What  work  thou  didst  in  their  days, 
In  the  times  of  old. 

3  How  thou  didst  drive  out  the  heathen  with  thy  hand, 
But  plantedst  them ; 

How  thou  didst  afflict  the  nations, 
But  extendedst  them. 

4  For  they  got  not  the  land  in  possession  by  their  own 

sword, 

Neither  did  their  own  arm  save  them : 
But  thy  right  hand,  and  thine  arm,  and  the  light  of  thy 

countenance, 
Because  thou  hadst  a  favour  unto  them. 

5  0  God,  thou  art  he,  my  king ! 
Command  deliverances  for  Jacob ! 

6  Through  thee  will  we  push  down  our  enemies : 
Through  thy  name  will  we  tread  them  under  that  rise 

up  against  us. 

7  For  I  will  not  trust  in  my  bow, 
Neither  can  my  sword  save  me. 

8  But  thou  hast  saved  us  from  our  enemies, 
And  hast  put  them  to  shame  that  hated  us. 

9  In  God  we  boast  all  the  day  long, 
And  praise  thy  name  for  ever.     Selah. 

10  But  thou  hast  cast  off,  and  put  us  to  shame ; 
And  didst  not  go  forth  with  our  armies. 

11  Thou  makest  us  to  turn  back  from  the  enemy; 
And  they  which  hate  us  spoil  for  themselves. 

12  Thou  hast  given  us  like  sheep  appointed  for  meat ; 
And  hast  scattered  us  among  the  heathen. 

13  Thou  sellest  thy  people  for  nought, 

And  dost  not  increase  thy  wealth  by  their  price. 


PSALM  XLIV.  215 

14  Thou  makest  us  a  reproach  to  our  neighbours, 

A  scorn  and  derision  to  them  that  are  round  about  us. 

15  Thou  makest  us  a  byword  among  the  heathen, 
A  shaking  of  the  head  among  the  nations. 

16  My  confusion  is  continually  before  me, 
And  the  shame  of  my  face  hath  covered  me, 

17  For  the  voice  of  him  that  reproacheth  and  blasphemeth ; 
By  reason  of  the  enemy  and  the  vengeful. 

18  All  this  is  come  upon  us: 

Yet  have  we  not  forgotten  thee, 

Neither  have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  covenant. 

19  Our  heart  is  not  turned  back, 

Neither  have  our  steps  declined  from  thy  way ; 

20  Though  thou  hast  sore  broken  us  in  the  land  of  jackals, 
And  covered  us  with  the  shadow  of  death. 

21  If  we  have  forgotten  the  name  of  our  God, 
Or  stretched  out  our  hands  to  a  strange  god ; 

22  Shall  not  God  search  this  out  ? 

For  he  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the  heart. 

23  Yea,  for  thy  sake  are  we  killed  all  the  day  long; 
We  are  counted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

24  Awake,  why  sleepest  thou,  0  Lord? 
Arise,  cast  us  not  off  for  ever. 

25  Wherefore  hidest  thou  thy  face, 

And  forgettest  our  affliction  and  our  oppression  ? 

26  For  our  soul  is  bowed  down  to  the  dust : 
Our  belly  cleaveth  unto  the  earth. 

27  Arise  for  our  help, 

And  redeem  us  for  thy  mercies'  sake. 


V.  2.  "  Hath  not  the  Lord  made  thee  and  established  thee  ? 
Remember  the  days  of  old,  consider  the  years  of  many  generations; 
ask  thy  father,  and  he  will  show  thee;  thy  elders,  and  they  will 
tell  thee."  Thus  saith  the  Lord  in  Deut.  xxxii.  6,  7,  etc.  and  goes 
on  to  remind  his  people  how  he  had,  with  the  affection  of  a  father, 
established,  led,  and  guarded  them  of  old.  The  Psalmist  obeys 
this  Divine  commandment  in  causing  his  memory  to  go  back  to  the 
days  of  the  beginning  of  his  nation.  It  was  the  admirable  occupa- 
tion of  old  men  in  Israel,  to  immortalize  the  works  of  the  Lord  in 
the  nation,  that  the  remembrance  might  in  a  continuous  chain  go 
from  century  to  century.  (Psalm  Ixxviii.  3 — 6.)  The  Psalmist 
refers  God's  merciful  dealings  in  hoary  antiquity  to  the  uninter- 
rupted testimony  as  transmitted  from  one  generation  to  the  next, 


216  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

and  thereby  intimates  that  the  antiquity  of  their  occurrence  does 
not  in  any  way  impair  their  certainty  and  credibility.  Other 
nations  hand  down  to  future  generations  the  great  events  of  anti- 
quity in  songs  and  histories — but  while  their  songs  sing  of  the 
heroism  of  their  ancestors,  the  songs  of  Israel  celebrate  the  works 
of  God. 

V.  3,  4.  The  Lord  had  found  the  nation  "in  a  desert  land  and 
in  the  waste  howling  wilderness,  as  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest, 
fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them, 
beareth  them  on  her  wings:  so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him." 
(Deut.  xxxii.  10,  11.)  He  had  destroyed  nations  that  were  rooted 
in  their  native  soil,  and  established  his  people  in  their  borders  and 
multiplied  them.  Israel  had  to  fight  for  the  possession  of  those 
new  borders.  But  faith  knows  that  the  strength  in  man  is  not  his, 
but  the  Lord's,  who  has  created  heaven  and  earth.  The  Psalmist 
therefore  confesses  that  it  was  the  hand  of  God  which  brought 
those  mighty  feats  to  pass. 

F.  5 — 9.  This  self-same  God  is  still  the  King.  How  encour- 
aging a  thought,  and  is  there  any  other  way  in  which  a  nation  can 
attain  to  unwavering  trust  ?  Human  strength  and  wisdom  change 
with  the  generations,  but  the  Lord's  arm  is  the  same  in  every  cen- 
tury. If  a  nation  desires  to  share  his  mercy  and  his  might,  she 
must  ascribe  the  honour  to  him  alone.  Though  Israel  had  ceased 
from  idolatry  since  the  days  of  godly  Josiah,  the  Lord  had  need  in 
the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim  to  say  to  Jeremiah, 
"Stand  in  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  speak  unto  all  the 
cities  of  Judah,  which  come  to  worship  in  the  Lord's  house,  all  the 
words  that  I  command  thee  to  speak  unto  them ;  diminish  not  a 
word :  if  so  be  they  will  hearken,  and  turn  every  man  from  his 
evil  ways,  that  I  may  repent  me  of  the  evil,  which  I  purpose  to  do 
unto  them  because  of  the  evil  of  their  doings/'  (Jer.  xxvi.  2,  3.) 

V.  10 — 15.  Victory  had  departed  from  the  arms  of  Israel  since 
the  godly  Josiah' s  defeat  in  the  battle  of  Megiddoh :  the  arms  of 
Jehoiakim  gave  way  in  the  wars  against  Nebuchadnezzar,  Moab, 
and  Ammon,  (2  Kings  xxiv.  2;)  and  when  the  Chaldeans  besieged 
Jerusalem,  in  the  days  of  Jehoiachin,  it  fell  almost  without  a  blow. 
Nebuchadnezzar,  covered  with  rich  spoil,  appeared  for  the  second, 
perhaps  the  third  (Cf.  Introd.  to  Ps.  Ixxiv.)  time  before  Jeru- 
salem, and  carried  off  many  nobles,  e.  g.  Daniel  and  Ezekiel,  and 
many  costly  vessels  from  the  temple  (Dan.  i.  2;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  10) 
of  the  Lord.  There  is  no  need  for  explaining  the  dispersion  among 
hostile  nations  of  the  abduction  of  captives  to  Babylon,  since  it 
was  customary  in  the  wars  of  that  time  to  carry  captives  into  foreign 
countries,  and  to  sell  them  as  slaves.  Joel  e.  g.  accuses  the  com- 
mercial nation  of  the  Philistines  of  having  sold  the  children  (Joel 
iv.  6)  of  Jerusalem  to  the  remote  Greeks  of  Asia  Minor,  and  Amos 
the  Syrian  of  having  sold  the  captives  to  the  Edomites.  (Amos  i.  6.) 


PSALM   XLIV.  217 

Bufc  the  deep  humiliation  of  Israel  before  all  the  surrounding 
nations  which  is  here  mentioned,  and  which  fulfilled  the  prediction 
of  Deut.  xxviii.  37,  refers  certainly  to  the  abduction  of  a  great 
portion  of  the  nation  to  Babylon.  The  disasters  and  calamities  of 
Israel  were  the  rejoicing  of  all  the  surrounding  nations,  the  Edom- 
ites,  Ammonites,  etc.;  and  when  Nebuchadnezzar  afterwards  des- 
troyed the  city,  Edom  aided  him,  and  exclaimed  with  malicious 
joy,  "Rase  it,  rase  it,  even  to  the  foundation  thereof/'  (Psalm 
cxxxvii.  7.)  The  shaking  of  the  head  denotes  here,  as  in  Psalm 
xxii.  8,  derisive  joy. 

V.  16,  17.  The  Psalmist  still  hears  the  voice  of  the  enemy, 
(Ps.  Ixxiv.  23,)  and  feels  the  ignominy  of  his  people  more  deeply 
than  his  own.  His  eye  has  not  only  to  behold  the  destruction,  but 
the  derision  in  the  face  of  the  destroyer. 

V.  18.  The  Lord  says  (Deut.  iv.  23,  24,)  "Take  heed  unto 
yourselves,  lest  ye  forget  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  your  God  which 
he  made  with  you,  and  make  you  a  graven  image,  or  the  likeness 
of  anything  which  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  forbidden  thee :  for  the 
Lord  thy  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a  jealous  God:"  adding, 
"  Ye  shall  not  prolong  your  days  upon  it,  but  shall  utterly  be  des- 
troyed; and  the  Lord  shall  scatter  you  among  the  nations,  and  ye 
shall  be  less  few  in  number  among  the  heathen,  whither  the  Lord 
shall  lead  you."  The  heart  of  the  Psalmist  is  seized  by  that  most 
dangerous  of  temptations,  that  the  word  of  God  is  no  longer  con- 
sistent, for  he  afnrins  of  his  nation  and  himself,  "that  they  have 
not  dealt  falsely  in  his  covenant."  But,  as  is  always  the  case  when 
man  thinks  that  God  has  become  faithless  to  his  covenant,  so  here 
the  Psalmist  had  neither  wholly  nor  deeply  understood  the  word 
of  God.  Let  man  but  grasp  it  in  its  depth  and  fulness,  and  it  will 
never  contradict  itself.  Idolatry  was  not  the  only  violation  of  the 
covenant,  though  none  other  is  mentioned  there.  The  Lord  says, 
in  Deut.  xxviii.  15.  32.  37,  "But  it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  thou 
wilt  not  hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  observe  to 
do  all  the  commandments  and  his  statutes,  ivhich  I  command  thee 
this  day,  that  all  their  curses  shall  come  upon  thee  and  overtake 
thee.  Thou  shalt  become  an  astonishment,  a  proverb,  and  a 
byword  among  all  nations,  whither  the  Lord  shall  lead  thee.  Thy 
sons  and  thy  daughters  shall  be  given  unto  another  people,  and 
thine  eyes  shall  look  and  fail  with  longing  for  them  all  the  day 
long;  and  there  shall  be  no  might  in  thy  hand."  Is  this  not  the 
sense  in  which  the  keeping  of  the  covenant  is  explained  in  Ps.  1.? 
Is  not  all  sin,  in  its  deeper  sense,  idolatry  ?  But  we  are  always 
more  prone  to  accuse  God  of  faithlessness  than  our  own  hearts. 

V.  19 — 23.     The  bard  ventures  to  affirm   that  they  have  not 

declined  from  the  ways  of  God,  while  the  sequel  of  his  words  shows 

that  all  he  means  to  say  amounts  just  to  this:  that  the  nation  as  a 

whole  stretched  out  their  hands  to  the  true  God,  and  had  the 

19 


218  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

statutes  and  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  in  their  mouths.  But  what 
if  NGod  dealt  with  the  people  according  to  the  words  of  Psalm 
1.  16,  17,  "  What  hast  thou  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes,  or  that 
thou  shouldest  take  my  covenant  in  thy  mouth;  seeing  thou  hatest 
instruction,  and  castest  my  words  behind  thee?"  It  appears  that 
the  Psalmist  was  in  his  own  mind  not  quite  sure  of  the  innocence 
of  his  people,  for  he  speaks  as  if  he  were  afraid  of  the  just  accusa- 
tions, that  though  having  done  away  with  outward  idolatry,  they 
were  attached  to  their  idols  in  their  hearts,  as  Ezekiel  reproves 
those  "whose  hearts  cling  to  their  idols/1  How  much  is  needed 
for  a  whole  nation  to  affirm,  as  does  the  Psalmist  here,  that  they 
endure  their  suffering,  not  on  account  of  their  own  guilt,  but  solely 
for  the  sake  of  their  God  and  their  faith,  which  Paul  was  permitted 
to  say  of  the  Christians,  (Rom.  viii.  36.)  The  Psalmist  calls  his 
country  the  land  of  jackals  and  of  the  shadow  of  death,  to  intimate 
its  deserted  condition,  for  the  desert  is  the  haunting-place  of 
jackals. 

V.  24 — 27.  Though  the  heart  of  believers  cannot  but  retain 
the  conviction  that  an  active  God  wields  the  sceptre  of  the  universe, 
expressions  of  despair  in  time  of  great  temptation  pass  even  their 
lips,  to  challenge  as  it  were  the  manifestation  of  the  Divine  arm. 
But  the  wild  waves  soon  subside  in  the  mind  of  the  bard,  his  sole 
appeals  being  to  his  own  affliction  and  to  the  love  and  mercy  of 
God. 


PSALM  XLV. 

AN  exquisitely  beautiful  and  poetic  psalm,  which  were  it  found 
elsewhere  than  in  the  collection  of  the  sacred  songs  of  Israel,  might 
be  regarded  as  the  nuptial  song  of  an  earthly  king,  whose  bride  is 
exhorted  to  forget  her  father's  house  and  to  yield  herself  entirely 
to  her  spouse  and  lord.  The  allegorical  sense  of  this  poem  is  ren- 
dered highly  probable,  from  the  simple  consideration  that  a  secular 
song  of  such  a  nature  would  not  have  been  received  into  a  collec- 
tion of  sacred  songs.*  John  the  Baptist  calls  our  Lord  Jesus  the 

*  There  are  various  objections  to  the  allegorical  interpretation  of  this 
psalm,  but  grave  difficulties  attach  also  to  the  explanations  which  regard 
the  king  as  a  worldly  monarch  of  Persia,  or  Israel,  or  as  Solomon.  To 
regard  him  as  a  king  of  Persia  (Augusti,  Rosenmuller,  and  formerly  De 
Wette)  is  prohibited  by  the  following  considerations: — Other  tributary 
nations  besides  Tyre  would  be  mentioned :  and  Israelites  would  not  have 
praised  him  in  similar  epithets ;  nor  would  the  position  of  the  psalm  occur 
among  such  ancient  songs.  It  is  objected  to  its  application  to  a  king  of 


PSALM   XLV.  219 

Bridegroom,  and  the  people  of  Israel  his  bride.  (John  iii.  29.) 
Our  Lord  himself  describes  his  union  to  his  people  by  the  figure  of 
a  marriage  feast.  (Matt.  xxii.  2;  cf.  2  Cor.  xi.  2;  Rev.  xxix.  7.) 
After  the  same  manner  this  psalm  represents  Messiah  as  a  king, 
Israel  as  his  affianced  bride  and  queen,  and  pagan  nations  as  her 
associates  or  friends,  who  along  with  her  are  introduced  into  the 
palace.  The  prophets  (Isa.  xi.;  Mich.  v.  3,)  describe  Messiah  as  a 
victorious  king  of  righteousness,  wisdom  and  kindness.  Israel 
shall  be  the  trunk-nation  of  the  new  kingdom,  and  the  heathen  be 
received  into  Israel,  believing  in  the  Messiah.  This  is  stated  in 
different  figures.  (Isaiah  ii.  3.)  It  is  described  in  another  form 
Ezek.  viii.  23,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts;  in  those  days  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  that  ten  men  shall  take  hold  out  of  all  languages 
of  the  nations,  even  shall  take  hold  of  the  skirt  of  him  that  is  a 
Jew,  saying,  We  will  go  with  you;  for  we  have  heard  that  God  is 
with  you/'  The  spiritual  union  of  God  to  his  people  is  frequently 
represented  by  the  figure  of  a  marriage.  (Hos.  2;  Jer.  iii.  1,  etc.; 

Israel  (Ewald,  Hitzig,)  that  Tyre  would  not  have  paid  tribute  to  so  unim- 
portant a  kingdom  as  Israel  (for  fif-tifa  must  be  regarded  as  tribute  see  Ps. 


Ixxii.  10;  Isaiah  Ix.  6;)  that  foreign  kings  would  not  have  sent  their 
daughters  into  the  harem  of  such  a  king;  that  v.  17  could  not  apply  to 
him;  and  that  an  Israelitish  song  of  such  a  nature  would  not  have  t>een 
received  into  the  Jewish  canon.  Its  application  to  Solomon  (Calvin,  Gro- 
tius,  Hupfeld)  has  against  it  that  v.  5  ascribes  a  martial  character  to  the 
king;  that  v.  17  speaks  of  a  series  of  ancestors,  while  Solomon's  sole 
ancestor  was  David.  Its  application  to  a  later  monarch  of  Judah,  which  is 
defended  by  Bleek  (Commentary  to  the  Hebrews,  vol.  ii.  p.  154,)  seems 
most  admissible,  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  flattery  —  "Thou 
shalt  make  thy  sons  princes  in  all  the  earth,"  or,  "in  all  the  land,"  would 
be  too  strong  if  addressed  to  a  later  Jewish  king,  the  lord  of  a  country  the 
dimensions  of  which  were  fifty  miles  by  thirty.  (See  Introd.  §  iii.)  It  is, 
moreover,  very  questionable  whether  the  contents  of  the  psalm  agree  with 
such  an  hypothesis.  Firstly,  the  proper  object  of  praise  is  the  king  in 
general,  v.  18,  and  the  wedding  is  only  described  because  in  connection 
with  him,  while  the  bride  is  quieted  by  a  reference  to  his  glory.  Secondly, 
much  depends  upon  the  correctness  of  the  common  view,  which  regards 
the  virgins  who  follow  the  queen  as  her  friends,  introduced  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  picture.  But  the  bride  is  not  comforted  by  a  reference  to  that 
retinue,  it  being  expressly  stated  that  the  virgins  are  brought  unto  him, 
the  king,  which  is  rendered  more  emphatic  still  by  v.  17.  The  word  J^n 

is,  in  fact,  applied  both  to  the  queen  and  her  companions.  Verse  10  also 
alludes  to  such  an  equalization.  We  think  that  a  careful  consideration  of 
the  additional  nifi^fa  in  v.  15,  and  of  v.  16,  necessarily  leads  to  the  con- 


clusion to  regard  the  virgins  as  brides,  among  whom  the  ^^  is  prima  inter 

pares.     If  this  be  the  case,  the  application  of  the  psalm  to  a  worldly  monarch 
is  inadmissible.     Among  the  different  translations  of  rnT-n1-!  *f\yj  in  the 


title,  that  which  renders,  "A  song  concerning  the  beloved,"  seems  most 
preferable  on  grounds  of  language  and  of  matter,  which,  after  what  has 
been  adduced,  seems  best  to  agree  with  the  contents  of  the  psalm. 


220  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Isa.  liv.  5.  Cf.  Song  of  Solomon  and  Introd.  §§  4,  5.)  Compare 
especially  Ezek.  xvi.  where  Israel  is  described  as  a  virgin  of 
Canaanite  extraction,  poor  at  her  birth,  whom  the  Lord  educated, 
bathed,  anointed,  and  adorned  with  broicjered  garments  and  costly 
jewels,  but  who  had  become  unfaithful  to  him.  The  Psalmist 
declares  in  an  enraptured  state  of  mind  his  intention  to  sing  a  song 
to  his  king,  (v.  2.)  He  praises  his  beauty  and  chivalry,  his  victo- 
rious warfares  in  the  interest  of  truth  and  holy  love:  he  affirms 
righteousness  to  be  the  fundamental  part  of  his  government,  and 
depicts  his  majesty  in  figures  borrowed  from  worldly  monarchs,  one 
of  which  is  his  riches  in  wives,  (v.  3 — 10.)  Eastern  potentates 
have  one  favourite  wife,  who  is  styled  the  queen:  the  nation  to 
whom  belong  the  promises  occupies  her  place,  and  is  according  to 
a  wife's  duty  to  forget  her  father's  house  and  her  former  connections, 
and  shall  by  way  of  reward  receive  tribute  from  the  wealthiest 
nations  of  the  earth.  This  wife,  with  the  retinue  of  all  other 
nations  of  the  earth,  holds  a  glorious  entrance  into  the  royal  palace. 
The  offspring  of  that  union  shall  be  princes  all  over  the  earth, 
more  glorious  than  all  the  royal  offspring  of  David,  (v.  11 — 17.) 
That  king  is  worthy  of  eternal  praises,  and  the  nations  shall  praise 
him  for  ever  and  ever  for  his  greatness  and  his  love,  (v.  18.) 

the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  "The  lilies/'  a  Song 
of  the  sons  of  Korah  concerning  the  beloved,  an 
instruction.* 

2  My  heart  welleth  forth  a  fair  song : 

I  say:  I  will  sing  touching  the  king: 

My  tongue  is  as  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer. 

3  Thou  art  fairer  than  the  children  of  men : 
Grace  is  poured  into  thy  lips : 
Therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  for  ever. 

4  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  0  Most  Mighty, 
With  thy  glory  and  thy  majesty. 

5  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously 

Because  of  truth,  and  mercy,  f  and  righteousness; 
And  thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  marvellous  things. 

6  Thine  arrows  hit   sharp  into  the  heart  of  the   king's 

enemies ; 
While  the  people  fall  under  thee. 

*So  Gesenius  in  Thes.  otherwise  the  rendering  "Song  of  loves,"  would 
be  more  preferable, 
t  p"l£  an<*  JTl33>  occur  equally  conjoined  Zeph.  ii.  3.     These  two  asyn- 

detically  united  words  make  up  one  idea,  like  two  asyndetically  united  ad- 
jectives (cf.  Ewald's  Hebrew  Grammar,  3d  Edition,  |  538.) 


PSALM  XLV.  221 

7  Thy  throne,*  0  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever: 

The  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  is  a  sceptre  of  justice. 

8  Thou  lovest  righteousness,  and  hatest  wickedness  : 
Therefore  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee 
With  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows. 

9  All  thy  garments  smell  of  myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia, 
Out  of  ivory  palaces  the  sound  of  the  harp  maketh  thee 

?  glad. 

10  Kings'  daughters  are  among  thy  glories, 

Upon  thy  right  hand  standeth  the  queen  in  gold  of  Ophir. 

11  Hearken,  0  daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline  thine  ear ; 
Forget  also  thine  own  people,  and  thy  father's  house; 

12  So  shall  the  king  greatly  desire  thy  beauty: 
For  he  is  thy  Lord,  and  thou  shalt  worship  him. 

13  And  the  daughter  of  Tyre  shall  with  a  gift  entreat  thy 

favour, 
The  richest  among  the  nations. 

14  The  king's  daughter  entereth  all  gloriously: 
Her  clothing  is  of  wrought  gold. 

15  She  is  brought  unto  the  king  in  raiment  of  embroidery : 
The  virgins  her  companions  that  follow  her  f 

Are  brought  unto  thee. 

16  With  gladness  and  rejoicing  are  they  brought  unto  thee: 
They  enter  into  the  king's  palace. 

17  Instead  of  thy  fathers  shall  be  thy  children, 
Whom  thou  shalt  make  princes  in  all  the  earth. 

18  I  will  make  thy  name  to  be  remembered  in  all  generations : 
Therefore  shall  the  nations  praise  thee  for  ever  and  ever. 

V.  2.  The  words  of  the  poet  well  from  a  joyous  and  deeply- 
moved  mind.  The  thought  that  he  is  about  to  devote  his  pen  to 
the  praise  of  his  king  inspires  him  with  sublime  enthusiasm.  So 
rapid  is  the  pulsation  of  his  heart,  that  the  pen  of  the  tongue  knows 
hardly  to  keep  pace  with  the  emotions  of  his  heart. 

V.  3 — 5.  The  bard  seems  already  inclined  to  describe  his  king 
as  a  bridegroom;  he  therefore  praises  his  beauty.  His  beauty  flows 
from  the  possession  of  spiritual  riches :  it  consists  in  the  graceful- 
ness of  the  words  of  his  lips,  which  God  has  given  to  him.  The 

*  The  text  will  also  admit  the  rendering,  "Thy  throne  is  a  throne  of 
God."  Aben  Ezra  compares  2  Chron.  xv.  8.  The  instances  which  Ewald 
($  647)  adduces  are  not  to  the  point,  Gesenius  quotes  ($  141)  Song  of  Sol. 
i.  16,  which  is  most  admissible,  though  the  passage  is  also  susceptible  of 
another  grammatical  structure. 

f  Germ,  version  renders  "  playmates."     Equally  correct  is  "  friends." 
19* 


222  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

prophet  represents  Messiah's  victory  over  the  world  by  the  figure 
of  a  warfare — and  mentions  on  that  account  the  brave  sword  of  his 
royal  hero.  Truth  and  mercy  blended  with  righteousness  are  the 
object  for  which  he  fights.  His  enemies  are  the  enemies  of  right- 
eousness and  mercy — they  are  struck  to  the  heart  by  his  never- 
missing  arrows. 

F  6 — 8.  This  Divine  throne  is  perpetual,  because  justice  is  the 
sceptre  of  this  kingdom.  Since  all  other  sceptres  are  but  weak 
representations  of  this  sceptre,  righteousness  and  justice  are  pos- 
sessed by  them  in  an  imperfect  manner  only :  the  Lord  has  there- 
fore anointed  this  king  with  the  oil  of  gladness  more  than  any  other. 
He  is  indeed  the  joy  of  his  people. 

V.  9,  10.  As  the  king  passes  along,  his  full  garments  emit  the 
richest  and  most  delightful  odours,  (Cant.  i.  3 :)  he  is  gladdened 
by  lovely  songs.  Among  his  riches  are  his  wives:  among  these 
only  one  is  "his  dove,"  (Cant.  vi.  7,  8,)  and  hers  is  the  preroga- 
tive, arrayed  in  gold,  to  stand  to  his  right. 

V.  11 — 13.  The  words  which  were  of  old  addressed  to  woman, 
(Gen.  ii.  24;  Comp.  xii.  1,)  are  in  a  spiritual  sense  enjoined  upon 
this  bride.  The  Lord,  whose  jealous  love  for  man  will  not  endure 
another  beside  him,  can  only  favour  her  with  his  love  on  her  for- 
saking home  and  natural  ties — for  not  only  his  love  but  his  right 
entitle  him  to  that  demand.  Who  would  refuse  to  bring  this  sacri- 
fice, that  is  alive  to  what  he  shall  gain  in  lieu?  As  the  prophet 
promises  to  the  new  Jerusalem,  the  people  of  which  shall  be  all 
righteous,  (Isa.  Ix.  21,)  all  the  riches  of  the  earth  as  her  posses- 
sion— all  the  flocks  of  Kedar,  all  the  gold  and  incense  of  Sheba, 
(Isa.  Ix.  6, 7,)  and  as  Solomon  declares,  that  the  kings  of  Tarshish 
and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents,  and  the  kings  of  Sheba  offer 
gifts  to  Messiah,  (Psalm  Ixxii.  10,)  so  the  Psalmist  promises  to  the 
wife,  who  has  entered  this  covenant,  the  gifts  of  the  richest  of  na- 
tions. (Ez.  xxvii.) 

F.  14 — 16.  As  Isaiah  beheld  in  his  rapturous  ecstasy  the  flow- 
ing together,  (Isaiah  Ix.  8,  9,)  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  with 
all  their  possessions — so  the  Psalmist  sees  the  entrance  of  these 
wives  into  the  regal  palace  to  the  great  marriage  feast — gloriously 
adorned,  for  the  Lord  has  provided  their  wedding  garments,  (Matt, 
xxii.  12,)  in  joy  and  delight,  for  they  who  have  enjoyment  like  this, 
need  none  other.  Foremost  in  the  procession  is  Israel,  the  good  olive 
tree  chosen  from  the  beginning,  into  which  all  who  wish  to  belong 
to  the  kingdom  of  God  must  be  grafted,  (Rom.  xi.  17;)  but  the  fol- 
lowing friends  are  led  to  the  same  delights — they  also  are  brought 
as  wives  unto  the  king,  who  is  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness. 

F.  17.  The  new  connection  is  also  glorious  to  tjie  king.  Many 
were  his  glorious  and  royal  ancestors  down  to  Jesse,  but  now  there 
are  born  to  him  the  eternal  kings,  sons  as  the  dew  from  the  womb 
of  the  morning,  (Ps.  ex,  3 ;  cf.  also  Isa.  liii.  10,)  who  shall,  as  princes; 


PSALM   XLVI.  223 

occupy  the  thrones  of  the  world.  So  our  Lord  promised  to  his 
disciples:  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  which  have  followed 
me  in  the  regeneration  (of  all  things,)  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall 
sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,"  (Matt.  xix.  28.)  And  Paul 
says,  "Do  ye  not  know  that  the  saints  shall  judge  the  world ?" 
(1  Cor.  vi.  2.)*. 

V.  18.  The  glory  of  the  king  is  the  proper  theme  of  the  song. 
Seized  with  a  sense  of  grateful  homage,  the  Psalmist  translates 
himself  down  to  the  remotest  future,  to  join  through  remote  gene- 
rations the  praises  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  the  Lord,  who  hath 
done  such  great  things  for  them. 


PSALM  XLVI. 

SINCE  the  separation  of  the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel,  the 
holy  city  had  become  several  times  the  prey  of  heathen  enemies, 
Shishak,  king  of  Egypt,  marched  against  the  city  as  early  as  in  the 
fifth  year  of  Rehoboam,  and  carried  off  the  treasures  of  the  king. 
Edom  and  Philistia  had  joined  him,  and  the  children  of  Judah 
were  sold  to  the  remote  Greek  Asia  Minor.  Joel  mourns  over 
the  plunder  of  the  treasures  of  the  Temple,  (Joel  iv.  5,)  and  the 
sale  of  the  children  of  Judah,  (Joel  iv.  16, 17, 18,  21.)  The  king 
of  Assyria  threatened  from  the  north  with  similar  destruction  in 
the  days  of  Hezekiah.  Desire  of  conquest  had  several  times  brought 
the  kings  of  that  remote  empire  against  Egypt.  Sennacherib  was 
on  his  march  against  Egypt,  but  contemplated  at  the  same  time  to 
reduce  the  king  of  Judah  and  other  minor  kings  in  Mesopotamia 
and  Syria  to  tributaries,  (Isaiah  ix.  9.)  Isaiah  describes  in  a  vision 
the  terror  of  the  Jewish  nation  at  the  approach  of  that  northern 
foe.  "  He  is  come  to  Aiath,  Tie  is  passed  to  Migron :  at  Michmash 
Tie  hath  laid  up  his  carriages:  they  are  gone  over  the  passage:  they 
have  taken  up  their  lodging  at  Geba;  Ramah  is  afraid:  Gibeah 
of  Saul  is  fled.  Lift  up  thy  voice,  0  daughter  of  Gallim;  cause 
it  to  be  heard  unto  Laish,  0 poor  Anathoth.  Madmenah  is  removed; 
the  inhabitants  of  Gebim  gather  themselves  to  flee.  As  yet  shall  he 
remain  at  Nob^  that  day:  he  shall  shake  his  hand  against  the 
mount  of  the  daughter  of  Zion,  the  hill  of  Jerusalem,"  (Isaiah  x. 

*  Stier  has  not  observed  unjustly,  that  this  verse  ought  to  be  regarded 
as  addressed  to  the  royal  bride,  since  it  would  be  a  comfort  to  her  respect- 
ing what  is  said  v.  11.  But  the  present  reading  prohibits  that  view. 

f  Whence  Jerusalem  could  be  seen. 


224  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  TSALMS. 

28,  etc.}  As  yet  the  king  threatens  only,  probably  because  he  finds 
the  city  too  strong,  and  is  afraid  of  delay.  He  sends  his  troops  be- 
fore all  the  fenced  cities  of  Judah,  that  none  might  remain  in  his 
rear,  (2  Kings  viii.  13.)  Hezekiah  seeks  to  satisfy  the  foe  by  pay- 
ing a  heavy  tribute,  (2  Kings  xviii.  14^16,) — (thirty  times  as 
heavy  as  that  which  Pharaoh  Necho  had  exacted,  for  Sennacherib 
asked  for  three  hundred  talents  of  silver  and  thirty  talents  of  gold, 
while  Necho  had  demanded  one  hundred  talents  of  silver  and  one 
talent  of  gold, — 2  Kings  xxiii.  33 ;)  but  Sennacherib  remains  in 
the  country.  He  came  in  the  autumn  of  713 :  the  fields  remained 
untilled,  and  the  country  had  to  suffer  famine  and  oppression  for 
two  years,  (Isa.  xxxvii.  30.)  In  the  meantime  Hezkeiah  had  opened 
negotiations  with  Egypt  and  the  far  distant  king  of  Ethiopia,  (Isa. 
xxxvi.  9;  Ch.  xviii.)  Sennacherib  encamped  before  the  fortress  of 
Lachish,  about  thirty  miles  from  Jerusalem,  ordered  his  generals  and 
satraps  to  besiege  the  capital.  "  Woe  for  the  multitude  of  many  peo- 
ple which  make  a  noise  like  the  noise  of  the  seas;  and  for  the  rushing 
of  nations  that  make  a  rushing  like  the  rushing  of  mighty  waters." 
(Isa.  xvii.  12.)  When  Shishak,  king  of  Egypt,  had  marched  against 
Jerusalem,  it  fell,  for  "when  Rehoboam  forsook  the  law  of  the 
Lord/'  the  Lord  caused  a  prophet  to  proclaim :  "  Ye  have  forsaken 
me,  and  therefore  have  I  also  left  you  in  the  hand  of  Shishak." 
(2  Chron.  xii.  1 — 9.)  When  a  hundred  years  later  the  Philistines 
and  Arabians  marched  against  Jerusalem,  in  the  reign  of  Jehoram, 
they  "  carried  away  all  the  substance  that  was  found  in  the  king's 
house,  and  his  sons  also,  and  his  wives,"  for  Jehoram  had  seduced 
Judah  to  idolatry  and  slain  his  brothers;  therefore  the  prophet 
Elijah  foretold  that  a  great  plague  should  befall  himself  and  his  peo- 
ple. (2  Chron.  xxi.  ll — 17.)  When  thirty  years  after  the  Syrians 
marcned  against  Jerusalem,  in  the  reign  of  Joash,  "they  destroyed 
all  the  princes  of  the  people  from  among  the  people,  and  sent  all 
the  spoil  of  them  unto  the  king  of  Damascus,"  "because  they  had 
forsaken  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers."  (2  Chron.  xxiv.  23,  24.) 
But  while  the  godly  Hezekiah  lies  in  prayer  before  the  Lord,  he  hears 
the  Divine  reply:  "Whereas  thou  hast  prayed  to  me,  against  Sen- 
nacherib, king  of  Assyria,  this  is  the  word  which  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  concerning  him,"  etc.  (Isa.  xxxvii.  15;)  and  the  Lord 
smote  in  one  night  in  the  camp  of  the  Assyrians  a  hundred  and 
four  score  and  five  thousand  with  the  plagues,  so  that  those  who 
remained  had  to  flee  in  ignominy.  The  knowledge  of  this  miracle 
spread  far  and  wide  among  the  nations,  and  the  Greek  historian 
Herodotus  (n.  141)  narrates  it  three  hundred  years  later  in  a  fabu- 
lous form.  Many  songs  of  praise  were  composed  at  that  time  by 
Hezekiah,  the  Levites,  and  others.  (Psalms  xlviii.  Ixvi.  Ixxvi.) 
Victories  gained  by  an  oppressed  people,  not  with  bow  and  spear, 
nor  the  arm  of  flesh,  but  by  the  strong  hand  of  the  Lord,  occasion 
psalms,  at  the  singing  of  which  the  whole  nation  feels  that  "  the 


PSALM   XLVI.  225 

Lord  who  rules  heaven  and  earth — he  is  our  God."  The  historical 
and  instructive  books  of  the  nation  praise  this  work  of  the  Lord, 
and  remote  generations  derived  strength  and  consolation  from  the 
remembrance  thereof.  (1  Mace.  vii.  41.  Sir.  xlviii.  24.)  This  psalm 
was  at  that  time  composed  by  a  Levite,  and  its  contents  correspond 
to  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah.  (Cf.  Isa.  xvii.  12;  viii.  7,  8,  with  v.  3,  4; 
Isa.  xxxiii.  21,  with  v.  5;  Isa.  xvii.  14,  with  v.  16.)  The  senti- 
ment of  this  psalm  is  that  of  Luther's  famous  hymn,  "  A  strong 
fortress  is  our  God/' 

1  n^O  the  chief  Musician,  A  Song  of  the  sons  of  Korah,  to 
JL       the  tune  of  the  virgins. 

Chorus. 

2  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 
A  very  present  help  in  trouble. 

3  Therefore  will  not  we  fear, 
Though  the  earth  be  removed, 

And  though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of 
the  sea; 

4  Tliough  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled, 
Though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof. 

Selah. 

5  There  is  a  river, 

The  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad  the  city  of  God, 
The  holy  place  of  the  tabernacles  of  the  Most  High. 

6  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her ; 
She  shall  not  be  moved : 

God  shall  help  her  at  early  morn. 

7  The  heathen  raged,  the  kingdoms  were  moved : 
He  uttered  his  voice,  the  earth  melted. 

The  People. 

8  The  LORD  of  hosts  is  with  us ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge.     Selah. 

Chorus. 

9  Come,  behold  the  words  of  the  LORD, 
What  desolations  he  hath  made  in  the  earth. 

10  He  maketh  wars  to  cease  unto  the  end  of  the  earth ; 
He  breaketh  the  bow,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder ; 
He  burneth  the  chariot  with  fire. 

11  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God: 
Exalted  among  the  nations. 
Exalted  in  the  earth. 


226  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

The  People. 
12  The  LORD  of  hosts  is  with  us ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge.     Selah. 

V.  2 — 4.  Isaiah  describes  the  approach  of  the  enemy  thus : 
"Woe  for  the  multitude  of  many  people,  which  make  a  noise  like 
the  noise  of  the  sea,  and  for  the  rushing  of  nations,  that  make  a 
rushing  like  the  rushing  of  mighty  waters."  (Ch.  xvii.  12.)  And 
he  says  elsewhere,  (Ch.  viii.  7,  8,)  "  Now  therefore  behold,  the 
Lord  bringeth  up  upon  them  the  waters  of  the  river,  strong  and 
many,  even  the  king  of  Assyria  and  all  his  glory:  and  he  shall 
come  up  over  all  his  channels  and  go  over  all  his  banks :  and  he 
shall  pass  through  Judah;  he  shall  overflow  and  go  over,  he  shall 
reach  even  to  the  neck;  and  the  stretchings  of  his  wings  shall 
fill  the  breadth  of  thy  land,  0  Immanuel."  But  God,  who  for  cen- 
turies "has  been  the  protection  and  refuge  of  his  people,  rises  like  a 
rock  high  above  the  waters,  and  though  everything  around  do  shake, 
the  hearts  of  believers  remain  firm. 

V.  5—8.  Isaiah  says  (xxxiii.  20,21),  "Thine  eyes  shall  see 
Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  shall  not  be  taken 
down,  not  one  of  the  stakes  thereof  shall  ever  be  removed,  neither 
shall  any  of  the  cords  thereof  be  broken.  But  there  the  glorious 
Lord  will  be  unto  us  a  place  of  broad  rivers  and  streams."  Such 
a  river  round  about  his  city  is  the  Lord — no  foes  can  pass  it,  no 
mighty  one  bridge  it.  Happy  the  people  with  whom  the  Lord 
dwelleth,  who  know  that  were  he  to  suffer  them  to  be  endangered, 
he  would  endanger  himself.  "  God  shall  help  her  at  early  morn," 
says  the  Psalmist,  and  the  prophet  states,  "  and  behold  at  evening- 
tide  trouble;  and  before  the  morning  he  is  not.  This  is  the  por- 
tion of  them  that  spoil  us,  and  the  lot  of  them  that  rob  us,"  "  and 
when  they  arose  early  in  the  morning,  behold,  they  were  all  dead 
corpses."  (Isa.  xxxvii.  36.)  However  much  the  nation  may  rage, 
they  grow  dumb  at  the  voice  of  the  God  of  Jacob. 

V.  9 — 12.  Where  the  Lord  goes  to  the  war,  the  wars  of  man 
must  cease;  for  his  wars  are  for  the  establishment  of  peace.  The 
Psalmist  speaks  as  if  the  help  which  the  Lord  had  vouchsafed  to 
the  city  of  David  would  cause  the  whole  earth  to  share  in  her  peace, 
and  such  was  really  the  case.  Mesopotamia,  Syria,  Egypt,  jEthio- 
pia,  and  Phoenicia,  rose  in  resistance,  but  were  in  part  crushed  by 
the  conqueror's  foot.  After  his  disaster  before  Jerusalem,  Senna- 
cherib returned  to  Nineveh,  where  his  sons  slew  him,  and  thus  was 
the  might  of  Assyria  broken.  The  proud  king  was  a  chastising 
rod  in  the  hands  of  God,  but  the  rod  boasted  against  the  hand  that 
led  it,  and  was  broken.  ~  Beautifully  sublime  are  the- words  of  Isaiah 
— would  that  every  conqueror  were  instructed  by  these  words, 
ct  Wherefore  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  when  the  Lord  hath  per- 
formed his  whole  work  upon  mount  Zion  and  on  Jerusalem,  I  will 


PSALM   XLVII.  227 

punish  the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  the 
glory  of  his  high  looks.  For  he  saith :  By  the  strength  of  my  hands 
I  have  done  it,  and  by  my  wisdom,  for  I  am  prudent:  and  I  have  re- 
covered the  bounds  of  the  people,  and  have  robbed  their  treasures, 
and  I  have  put  down  the  inhabitants  like  a  valiant  man :  and  my 
hand  hath  found  as  a  nest  the  riches  of  the  people :  and  as  one 
gathereth  eggs  that  are  left  have  I  gathered  all  the  earth;  and 
there  was  none  that  moved  the  wing,  or  opened  mouth,  or  peeped. 
Shall  the  axe  boast  itself  against  him  that  heweth  therewith  ?  or 
shall  the  saw  magnify  itself  against  him  that  shaketh  it?"  (Isa.  x. 
12,  etc.)  Such  are  the  words  of  the  prophet.  The  Psalmist  pro- 
pounds the  same  doctrine  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  "  Be  still, 
and  know  that  I  am  God,  exalted  among  the  nations,  exalted  in  the 
earth."  Happy  is  the  people  with  whom  is  such  a  God;  whose 
refuge  is  the  God  of  Jacob ! 


PSALM  XLVII. 


THE  period  of  the  composition  of  this  beautiful  psalm,  replete 
with  exultant  joy,  rests  chiefly  on  the  interpretation  of  verse  6. 
Does  it  in  a  direct  manner  refer  to  the  ascent  of  the  ark  —  or 
merely  alluding  to  it,  denote  the  victory  of  God?  The  former  is 
the  natural  view;  the  psalm  falls  then  into  the  time  of  David, 
when  the  ark  still  used  to  be  taken  into  the  field,  (2  Sam.  xi.  11, 
and  Psalm  Ixviii.*)  It  is  very  dubious,  according  to  1  Kings  viii.  8, 
whether  after  its  removal  to  the  temple  it  ever  accompanied  the 
army,  though  2  Chron.  xiii.  12,  seems  to  speak  for  it.  Considering 
that  this  psalm  is  placed  between  two  others  which  belong  to  the 
days  of  Sennacherib,  and  that  just  at  that  time  Messianic  hopes 
revived,  one  feels  inclined  to  refer  it  to  the  days  of  Hezekiah 
rather  than  to  those  of  David.  (  Vide  ad.  Psalms  Ixxvi.  Ixxxvii.) 
But  since  the  indirect  allusion  to  the  ascent  of  the  ark  seems  rather 
strange  (for  the  victory  over  Sennacherib  was  not  gained  by  the 
force  of  arms),  we  incline  to  the  former  view.  We  presume  accord- 
ingly that  the  ark  had  returned  from  a  victory.  The  Psalmist  rises 
from  that  victory  to  the  prospect,  that  hereafter  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  shall  be  subject  to  that  king,  to  whom  they  already 
belong,  though  they  do  not  confess  it.  The  Psalmist  proclaims  in  a 

*  Verse  30,  which  speaks  of  the  temple,  implies  no  more  a  later  period 
than  does  Psalm  v.  8. 


228  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

sublime  lyrical  flight  (v.  10),  the  prophetical  declaration  of  Isa.  ii. 
2,  3.     Compare  especially  Psalm  Ixxxvii. 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah. 

2  0  clap  your  hands,  all  ye  people ; 

Shout  unto  God  with  the  voice  of  triumph. 

3  For  the  LORD  most  high  is  terrible : 
He  is  a  great  king  over  all  the  earth. 

4  He  shall  subdue  the  people  under  us, 
And  the  nations  under  our  feet. 

5  He  shall  choose  our  inheritance  for  us, 

The  excellency  of  Jacob  whom  he  loved.    Selah. 

6  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout, 

The  LORD  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet. 

7  Sing  praises  to  God,  sing  praises : 

Sing  praises  unto  our  King,  sing  praises. 

8  For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the  earth: 
Sing  ye  praises  with  understanding. 

9  God  reigneth  over  the  heathen : 

God  sitteth  upon  the  throne  of  his  holiness. 
10  The  princes  of  the  people  are  gathered 
Unto  one  people  of  the  God  of  Abraham : 
For  the  excellent  of  the  earth  belong  unto  God : 

He  is  greatly  exalted. 

i 

V.  2 — 5.  Alive  to  the  magnitude  of  the  Lord's  doings  for  his 
people,  the  Psalmist  deems  it  not  enough  that  they  only  should 
express  their  gratitude  to  him :  he  calls  upon  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  to  pay  their  homage  to  him  with  gestures  of  joy  and  songs  of 
praise,  which  was  customary  to  do  at  the  anointing  of  monarchs. 
(2  Kings  xi.  12;  1  Sam.  x.  24.)  The  earth  is  his,  though  its 
inhabitants  have  as  yet  forborne  to  pay  their  homage  to  him.  He 
has  made  Israel  the  heart  of  mankind :  if  he  willeth,  all  nations 
must  serve  Israel.  -He  has  appointed  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
for  the  inheritance  of  Israel,  (Isaiah  liv.  3;  Zeph.  ii.  9:)  he 
has  decreed  and  chosen  the  excellency  of  Jacob,  the  beloved, 
which  is  to  make  him  great  before  the  nations.  (Isaiah  xlix.  3; 
Luke  ii.  32.) 

V.  6 — 10.  The  ark  reascends  the  sanctuary  amid  the  sound  of 
the  trumpet  and  songs  of  praises:  the  whole  world  is  to  join  in  the 
praises  of  Israel.  Jehovah  is  also  the  God  of  the  heathen :  the 
nations  shall  come  some  day  with  their  praises,  and  become  one 
people  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  even  as  Israel.  (Psalm  ii.  8 ;  Rev. 
xi.  15;  Zech.  xiv.  9.) 


PSALM   XLVIII.  229 


PSALM  XLVIII. 

A  SONG  of  praise  which  belongs  to  the  same  period  as  Psalm 
xlvi.  The  sentiments  of  this  psalm  are  even  more  sublime  and 
joyous,  the  gratitude  of  astonishment  more  lively,  on  the  people 
opening  their  eyes  in  the  morning  as  if  after  an  oppressive  dream, 
and  beholding  the  vast  array  of  corpses  of  those  whose  presence 
dismayed  them  the  day  before.  And  it  was  as  a  dream  to  the  mock- 
ing foe,  "And  the  multitude  of  all  the  nations  that  fight  against 
Ariel  (Jerusalem,)  even  all  that  fight  against  her  and  her  munition, 
and  that  distress  her,  shall  be  as  a  dream  of  a  night  vision.  It 
shall  even  be  as  when  an  hungry  man  dreameth,  and  behold  he 
eateth;  but  he  awaketh,  and  his  soul  is  empty:  or  as  when  a 
thirsty  man  dreameth,  and  behold  he  drinketh;  but  he  awaketh, 
and  behold  he  is  faint,  and  his  soul  has  appetite :  so  shall  the  mul- 
titude of  all  the  nations  be  that  fight  against  mount  Zion."  (Isaiah 
xxix.  7,  8.) 

SONG  and  Psalm  of  the  Sons  of  Korah. 

2  Great  is  the  LORD,  and  greatly  to  be  praised 

In  the  city  of  our  God,  on  the  mountain  of  his  holiness. 

3  Beautiful  for  situation,* 

The  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is  mount  Zion, 

On  the  sides  of  the  north,  the  city  of  the  great  King. 

4  God  is  known  in  her  palaces  as  her  refuge. 

5  For,  lo,  the  kings  were  assembled  (or,   "took  counsel,") 
They  passed  away  together. 

6  They  saw  it  (the  city)  and  so  they  marvelled ; 
They  were  dismayed  and  fled. 

7  Fear  took  hold  upon  them  there, 
And  pain,  as  of  a  woman  in  travail. 

8  Thou  breakest  the  ships  of  Tarshish 
With  an  east  wind. 

9  As  we  have  heard,  so  have  we  seen 

In  the  city  of  the  LORD  of  hosts,  in  the  city  of  our  God : 
God  hath  established  it  for  ever.     Selah. 

10  We  have  thought  of  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God, 
In  the  midst  of  thy  temple. 

11  According  to  thy  name,  0  God, 

So  is  thy  praise  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth: 
Thy  right  hand  is  full  of  righteousness. 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "  A  beautiful  hill,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth  is  Mount 
Zion,  a  joy  of  the  earth  to  the  remotest  north,  the  city  of  the  great  king." 
20 


230  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

12  Let  Mount  Zion  rejoice, 

Let  the  daughters  of  Judah  be  glad  (i.  e.  the  provincial 

towns,) 
Because  of  thy  judgments. 

13  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her : 
Tell  the  towers  thereof. 

14  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  (or  "roam  through") 

her  palaces ; 
That  ye -may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following. 

15  Yea,  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever : 
He  will  be  our  guide,  even  beyond  death. 

F.  2 — 4.  In  their  fearful  anticipations  they  had  already  seen 
their  beautiful  city  turned  to  ruins,  and  their  temple  into  smoke 
and  ashes.  They  rejoice  in  holy  astonishment  to  see  her  in  the 
rosy  light  of  dawn,  strong  and  unhurt  as  ever.  Many  miracles  of 
mercy  had  already  been  exhibited  on  the  holy  mount.  The  Psalm- 
ist would  fain  have  the  whole  world  be  acquainted  with  the  cove- 
nant of  mercy,  to  join  in  his  rejoicing  at  the  strong  protector  who 
rules  over  her  palaces. 

F.  5 — 7.  The  proud  king,  who  called  himself  the  great  king, 
boasted  that  the  kings  of  Hamath  and  Arpad  were  serving  him. 
(Isa.  x.  8;  xxxvi.  4.)  He  himself  did  not  advance  before  the  city, 
but  remained  before  Lachish,  (vide  ad.  Ps.  xlvi.,)  about  thirty 
miles  distant;  but  he  felt  the  disaster  of  his  army  before  Jerusa- 
lem, and  he  was  obliged  to  flee.  The  kings  were  assembled;  but 
the  King  of  kings  said  once  more,  "Take  counsel  together  and  it 
shall  come  to  nought;  speak  the  word  and  it  shall  not  stand;  for 
God  is  with  us."  (Isa.  viii.  10.)  The  flight  was  so  sudden,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  the  mere  sight  of  the  holy  city  had  driven  them  back. 
The  Lord  did  at  that  time  address  the  proud  conqueror  by  the 
mouth  of  his  prophet:  "But  I  know  thy  abode,  and  thy  going  out, 
and  thy  coming  in,  and  thy  rage  against  me.  Because  thy  rage 
against  me,  and  thy  tumult,  is  come  up  into  mine  ears ;  therefore 
will  I  put  my  hook  in  thy  nose,  and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  I 
will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou  earnest."  (Isaiah 
xxxvii.  28,  29.) 

F.  8.  The  Psalmist's  meaning  probably  is,  that  God,  who  wrecks 
the  ships  at  sea  by  the  east  wind,  has  done  his  miracles  here.  But 
the  Phoenicians  were  probably  allied  with  the  king  of  Assyria. 
Isaiah  xxxiii.  21.  23,  may  refer  to  this  circumstance:  "But  there 
the  glorious  God  will  be  unto  us  a  place  of  broad  rivers  and  streams, 
wherein  shall  go  no  galley  with  oars,  neither  shall  gallant  ship  pass 


PSALM   XL VIII.  231 

thereby.  Thy  tacklings  are  loosed;  they  could  not  well  strengthen 
their  mast;  they  could  not  spread  the  sail/'* 

F.  9 — 12.  They  had  often  heard  that  the  Lord  is  king  in 
Zion,  and  has  engraven  her  walls  in  his  right  hand.  Now  they 
once  more  experienced  it.  The  repeated  fulfilment  of  such  pro- 
mises of  God  become  so  engraven  upon  the  human  heart  that  they 
cannot  be  effaced.  Where  else  then  in  the  temple  of  God,  kneel- 
ing in  the  sanctuary,  are  we  to  expect  to  find  a  people  after  such 
deliverances?  If  it  has  not  been  realized  before  that  these  judg- 
ments go  forth  from  the  Lord  of  lords,  it  is  sure  to  be  felt  in  the 
sanctuary.  The  fame  of  such  acts  of  the  Lord  spread  the  glory  of 
his  name  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  brought  the  embassy  of  the 
king  of  Babylon  from  a  remote  country.  "Hezekiah  was  magni- 
fied in  the  sight  of  all  nations  from  thenceforth,  and  many  brought 
gifts  unto  the  Lord  to  Jerusalem,  and  presents  to  Hezekiah,  king 
of  Judah,"  (2  Chron.  xxxii.  22,  23.)  The  right  hand  of  the  Lord 
is  stretched  out  over  the  whole  earth,  for  ever  dispensing  righteous- 
ness, though  it  may  not  become  manifest  until  the  end  of  days. 
Although  the  rod  of  chastisement  had  immediately  threatened  the 
capital  only,  yet  all  the  cities  of  Judah  suffered  even  more  than 
the  capital ;  for,  their  fields  had  been  laid  waste  and  their  goods 
spoiled.  It  was,  therefore,  not  only  a  festival  of  rejoicing  to  the 
capital,  but  to  the  whole  country  in  all  its  borders.  They  probably 
hastened  from  every  part  of  the  country  to  the  temple  of  the  Lord, 
with  songs  of  praise  and  rejoicing. 

F.  13,  14.  Unhurt,  entirely  unhurt,  appears  Jerusalem  in  the 
morning  sun :  while  the  clouds  concealed  her,  one  might  have 
thought  that  not  a  stone  had  remained  on  its  place;  but  the  clouds 
disperse,  "God  has  made  himself  known  in  her  palaces  as  a 
refuge."  The  record  of  mercy  so  great  was  well  worthy  of  being 
transmitted  to  succeeding  generations  like  a  precious  jewel,  and 
the  exhortation  of  the  Psalmist  has  been  acted  upon.  (Of.  Psalm 
xlvi.) 

F.  15.  If  God  remains  the  same,  then  the  grandchildren  will 
experience  the  mercy  which  was  enjoyed  by  their  believing  fathers. 
If  God  so  marvellously  glorifies  himself  to  weak  mortals  in  this  life, 
will  he  suffer  them  to  decay  into  dust  and  ashes  after  death  ?  Faith 
in  a  blissful  eternity  awakes  most  vividly  when  the  mercy  of  God 
powerfully  shines  upon  our  temporal  existence. 

*  This  is  an  address  to  the  enemy:  if,  contrary  to  our  supposition, 
mighty,  seafaring  Tyre  was  not  allied  with  Assyria,  the  prophet's  refer- 
ence to  sails  and  masts  would  be  a  figurative  description  of  the  vessel  of 
the  State,  which  is  not  probable. 


232  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XLIX. 

A  DIDACTIC  psalm,  concerning  the  uncertain  prosperity  of  the 
proud  rich,  their  certain  death,  the  victory  of  the  godly,  and  their 
final  reception  with  God.  (Of.  Ps.  xxxvii.  73.)  The  Psalmist  had 
been  alarmed  at  and  tempted  by  the  insolent  security  of  the  sump- 
tuous children  of  the  world;  but  his  scruples  vanished  and  the 
struggle  ended.  He  publishes  aloud  the  revelations  of  God  to  his 
soul,  and  invites  attention,  (v.  2 — 5.)  The  pride  of  the  rich,  how- 
ever lofty,  must  cease,  (v.  6 — 13.)  They  are  carelessly  secure: 
flatterers  render  them  still  more  so,  but  the  godly  rules  them ;  while 
they  depart  to  the  grave,  he  is  redeemed  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
(v.  14 — 16.)  He  comforts  others  with  the  sources  of  his  encourage- 
ment. Divine  wisdom  only  can  raise  us  above  the  lot  of  beasts, 
(v.  17—21.) 

0  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah. 

2  Hear  this,  all  ye  people ; 

Give  ear,  all  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world : 

3  Both  low  and  high, 
Rich  and  poor,  together. 

4  My  mouth  shall  speak  of  wisdom ; 

And  the  meditation  of  my  heart   shall  be  of  under- 
standing. 

5  I  will  incline  mine  ear  to  the  oracle  (of  the  Lord,)* 
I  will  open  my  dark  sayingf  upon  the  harp. 

6  Wherefore  should  I  fear  in  the  days  of  evil, 

When  the  iniquity  of  my  heels  (pursuers)  shall  compass 
me  about? 

7  Of  them  that  trust  in  their  wealth, 

And  boast  themselves  in  the  multitude  of  their  riches  ? 

8  None  of  them  can  by  any  means  redeem  his  brother, 
Nor  give  to  God  a  ransom  for  him : 

9  (For  the  redemption  of  their  soul  is  precious, 
And  it  ceaseth  for  ever:) 

10  That  he  should  still  live  for  ever, 
And  not  see  corruption. 

11  He  rather  shall  see  it. 
Wise  men  die, 

The  foolish  and  the  ignorant  perish  together, 
And  leave  their  wealth  to  others. 

*  I.  e.  "To  hear  it  intuitively  from  the  Lord." 
f  Properly,  "an  apothegm." 


PSALM  XLIX.  233 

12  Their  inward  thought  is,  that  their  houses  shall  continue 

for  ever, 

And  their  dwelling  places  to  all  generations; 
They  call  their  lands  after  their  own  names  (or,  "their 

name  is  published  over  the  land.") 

13  Nevertheless  man  being  in  honour  abideth  not : 
He  is  like  the  beasts  that  perish. 

14  This  their  way  is  their  folly : 

Yet  their  followers  approve  their  sayings.     Selah. 

15  Like  sheep  they  are  driven  to  Sheol : 
Death  is  their  shepherd  (or,  "driver/') 

And  the  upright  shall  soon  have  dominion  over  them, 
And  their  beauty  shall  consume  in  Sheol,  from  their 
dwelling.* 

16  But  God  will  redeem  MY  soul  from  the  power  of  Sheol : 
For  he  shall  receive  me.     Selah. 

17  Be  not  thou  afraid  when  one  is  made  rich. 
When  the  glory  of  his  house  is  increased : 

18  For  when  he  dieth  he  shall  carry  nothing  away : 
His  glory  shall  not  descend  after  him. 

19  Though  while  he  lived  he  blessed  his  soul : 

(And  men  will  praise  thee,  when  thou  doest  well  to  thyself.) 

20  He  shall  go  to  the  generation  of  his  fathers ; 
They  shall  never  see  light. 

MAN  THAT  IS  IN  HONOUR,  AND  UNDERSTANDETH  NOT, 
IS  LIKE  THE  BEASTS  THAT  PERISH. 

V.  2 — 7.  The  Psalmist  calls  upon  the  whole  human  race  to 
give  ear  to  his  words,  with  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  inspired 
him;  for  he  is  conscious  that  he  is  about  to  utter  a  truth  which, 
alike  Divine  as  to  its  origin  and  effects,  is  capable  of  imparting 
wisdom  to  the  rich,  comfort  and  strength  to  the  poor.  He  has 
heard  a  Divine  voice,  and  purposes  to  accompany  its  recital  on  the 
harp.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xii.  6.)  He  has  had  to  struggle  and  to  fear,  but 
Divine  and  not  human  wisdom  gave  him  peace.  He  sings  of  the 
struggle  of  his  own  heart.  He  had  often  feared  when  the  sur- 
rounding ungodly  became  powerful.  If  others  therefore  feel  after 
the  same  manner,  they  need  not  be  ashamed.  But  the  Psalmist 
instructs  himself  by  the  Divine  oracle :  so  may  others  instruct  them- 
selves by  the  word  of  God,  and  with  the  same  amount  of  comfort 
as  the  Psalmist. 

V.  8 — 11.  A  rich  man  may  buy  much  with  his  money,  goods 
of  every  kind,  pleasures,  honours,  but  he  cannot  buy  eternal  life. 

*  Or,  "Their  form  shall  go  to  Sheol:  they  must  go  from  their  dwelling 
to  be  consumed,"  (for  "a  consuming.") 
20* 


234  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Can  that  be  called  a  happy  life  which  every  hour  removes  us  fur- 
ther from  happiness  ?  However  much  people  may  differ  in  other 
respects,  death  brings  them  to  the  same  level.  Happy  the  man 
who  at  his  departure  has  riches  which  he  need  not  leave  to  others ! 

V.  12, 13.  They  know  it,  but  will  not  know  it.  Excluding  the 
light  of  the  day,  they  prefer  the  artificial  light  which  they  them- 
selves have  made.  They  persuade  themslves  that  their  houses  rest 
on  another  foundation  than  that  of  the  earth.  If  a  rich  man  feels 
inclined  to  deceive  himself,  he  is  sure  to  find  many  abettors.  Their 
names  are  praised  on  earth — may  they  not  think  that  that  which 
applies  to  every  man,  has  no  reference  to  them,  "Unto  dust  shalt 
thou  return"?  As  beasts  are  destined  for  the  slaughter,  so  man  is 
doomed  to  die :  no  earthly  glory,  however  great  it  be,  can  save 
from  death. 

F.  14, 15.  Their  hope  is  imaginary:  the  density  of  the  mist 
which  surrounds  them  is  proportioned  to  the  number  of  their  flat- 
tering abettors :  it  will  disperse  when  their  hour  has  struck.  They 
loved  to  drive  others,  death  now  will  drive  them.  Death  will  lift 
his  rod  and  drive  them  from  their  dwelling  to  the  gloomy  regions 
below.  The  night  passes — but  yesterday  the  rulers,  to-day  they 
are  the  ruled ;  for  if  the  kingdom  of  God  triumph  not  in  time,  it  is 
sure  to  triumph  in  eternity. 

V.  16.  My  soul  will  not  remain  in  Sheol;  the  way  of  all  of  us 
is  downwards,  but  in  the  case  of  some  it  points  again  upwards.  The 
God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  who  took  to  himself  Enoch 
and  Moses,  will  also  receive  me.  (Psalm  Ixxiii.  24.) 

V.  17 — 21.  Who  will  be  so  foolish  and  fear?  If  we  have  much 
on  earth,  we  can  only  keep  it  on  earth.  They  praise  themselves 
and  hear  the  echo  from  others;  but  when  the  lamp  of  their  life 
extinguishes,  their  light  has  set  for  ever.  Divine  wisdom  only 
raises  us  above  the  destiny  of  beasts.  Man  in  all  his  glory,  if  de- 
prived of  Divine  wisdom,  is  like  the  beast,  and  shall  perish. 


PSALM  L. 

A  DIDACTIC  psalm  showing  that  the  sacrifices  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving  are  the  sacrifices  by  which  God  desires  to  be  praised. 
(Cf.  Psalm  xl.  7;  li.  18, 19;  Ixix.  31,  32.) 

As  amid  signs  of  nature,  which  proclaimed  his  majesty,  God 
once  appeared  as  the  lawgiver,  so  he  comes  now  as  the  judge,  (v.  1 
— 3).  Heaven  and  earth  must  behold  and  hearken,  (v.  4 — 6.) 
The  outward  servant  of  the  law,  who  offends  more  from  obtuseness 
than  from  wicked  motives,  is  in  majestic  irony  pointed  to  the  in- 
ward worship  of  God,  (v,  7 — 15).  So  in  the  language  of  flaming 


PSALM  L.  285 

wrath,  the  hypocrite  (v.  16 — 23.)  Though  the  divinely  instituted 
peace,  thank,  and  sin-offerings  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  were 
only  intended  to  answer  the  end  of  impressing  man  with  a  sense 
of  the  insufficiency  of  his  praises,  thanksgivings,  and  sufferings  for 
sin,  as  well  as  the  necessity  of  substitution  to  render  them  sufficient, 
— though  sacrifices  therefore  might  and  ought  to  have  been  the 
true  worship  of  the  heart,  they  were  far  from  being  so.  Some, 
owing  to  the  lassitude  of  the  human  heart,  which  prefers  to  worship 
God  by  outward  acts  rather  than  inward,  regarded  the  outward  sacri- 
fice as  the  main  point,  and  the  sacrifice  of  the  heart  as  of  secondary 
moment,  while  others  cared  not  even  for  the  former,  and  were  satis- 
fied with  having  the  law  on  their  lips.  The  Spirit  of  God  rested  on 
the  Psalmist,  who  describes  under  his  influence  the  coming  Lord  as 
judge.  As  once  he  went  out  from  Sinai,  (Judges  v.  4 — Seir  includes 
JSinai^)  so  he  now  goes  out  from  Zion,  the  beautiful  city  of  God,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  formal  worshippers  and  hypocrites. 

A   PSALM  of  Asaph. 

A 

1  The  mighty  God,  even  the  LORD,  hath  spoken, 
And  called  the  earth 

From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  the  going  down  thereof. 

2  Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty, 
God  hath  shined. 

3  Our  God  shall  come,  and  shall  not  keep  silence : 
A  fire  shall  devour  before  him, 

And  it  shall  be  very  tempestuous  round  about  him. 

4  He  shall  call  to  the  heavens  from  above, 

And  to  the  earth,  that  he  may  judge  his  people. 

5  "  Gather  together  unto  me  my  SAINTS 

THOSE    THAT    HAVE    MADE    A    COVENANT    WITH    ME    BY 
SACRIFICE." 

6  And  the  heavens  shall  declare  his  righteousness : 
For  God  is  judge  himself.     Selah. 

7  Hear,  0  my  people,  and  I  will  speak ; 

0  Isral,  and  I  will  testify  against  thee : 

1  am  God,  even  thy  God. 

8  I  will  not  reprove  thee  for  thy  sacrifices 

Or  thy  burnt- offerings,  to  have  been  continually  before  me. 

9  I  will  take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house, 
Nor  he  goats  out  of  thy  folds. 

10  For  every  beast  of  the  forest  is  mine, 

And  the  cattle  upon  the  hills,  where  they  are  by  thousands. 

11  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the  mountains ; 
And  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  are  mine. 


236  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

r 

12  If  I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  tell  thee ; 

For  the  world  is  mine,  and  the  fulness  thereof. 

13  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls, 
Or  drink  the  blood  of  goats  ? 

14  OFFER  UNTO  GOD  THANKSGIVING: 

AND  PAY  THY  VOWS  UNTO  THE  MOST  Hf GH  : 

15  And  call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble : 

I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me. 

16  But  unto  the  WICKED  God  saith, 

What  hast  thou  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes, 

Or  that  thou  shouldest  take  my  covenant  in  thy  mouth ; 

17  Seeing  thou  hatest  instruction, 
And  castest  my  words  behind  thee  ? 

18  When  thou  sawest  a  thief,  then  thou  consentedst  with  him, 
And  hast  been  partaker  with  adulterers. 

19  Thou  givest  thy  mouth  to  evil, 
And  thy  tougue  frameth  deceit. 

20  Thou  sittest  and  speakest  against  thy  brother ; 
Thou  slanderest  thine  own  mother's  son. 

21  These  things  hast  thou  done,  and  I  kept  silence ; 
Thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such  an  one  as 

thyself: 

But  I  will  reprove  thee,  and  set  them  in  order  before 
thine  eyes. 

22  Now  consider  this,  ye  that  forget  God, 

Lest  I  tear  you  in  pieces,  and  t here  be  none  to  deliver. 

23  WHOSO  OFFERETH  PRAISE  GLORIFIETH  ME : 

AND  TO  HIM  THAT  ORDERETH  HIS  CONVERSATION  ARIGHT 
WILL  I  SHOW  THE  SALVATION  OF  GOD. 

V.  1 — 4.  Asaph  introduces  the  Lord  by  a  lofty  name,  to  impress 
his  hearers  with  his  majesty.  He  calls  the  whole  earth,  yea,  hea- 
ven and  earth,  as  witnesses  to  the  great  judgment  of  his  nation. 
It  is  the  same  Lord  who  has  fixed  his  tabernacle  ia  Zion,  and  there 
manifested  himself  to  the  people  of  his  covenant  in  mercy  and  right- 
eousness. The  long-suffering  of  God  has  long  been  silent,  he  will 
now  make  it  known  that  his  long-suffering  was  not  indifference,  but 
mercy.  He  sends  fire  and  tempests  before  him  as  his  messengers, 
announcing  the  approaching  Judge. 

V.  5,  6.  The  covenant  at  the  foot  of  Sinai  had  been  made  by 
sacrifice :  they  are  the  saints  of  God  who  continue  to  remember  the 
obedience  which  they  had  then  yielded.  These  are  to  be  gathered 
first;  that  they  may  learn  to  do  in  the  spirit  what  now  they  are 
doing  in  the  flesh;  God  himself  is  the  judge:  therefore  the  hea- 
vens declare  it  far  and  wide,  that  he  holds  a  righteous  judgment. 


PSALM  L.  237 

V.  7 — 13.  He  gives  his  name  before  he  speaks:  it  is  God,  the 
God  of  his  people.  0  IsraelA  who  hast  so  often  experienced  the 
righteousness  and  love  of  that  God — what  may  thy  feelings  be, 
when  he  announces  himself  as  thy  God?  When  he  calls  to  account, 
man  thinks  that  is  for  the  sake  of  outward  works.  It  is  so  deeply 
impressed  upon  the  heart  of  man  that  his  life  should  be  a  continu- 
ous worship,  that  he  seeks  to  calm  his  conscience  by  outward  offer- 
ings and  works  of 'obedience  at  least.  But  they  can  neither  calm 
the  conscience  nor  satisfy  God.  Do  you  think  that  by  offering 
bullocks  and  goats  you  can  really  give  anything  to  the  Lord?  Oh, 
man,  thou  hast  received  them  from  him;  who  gave  ever  anything 
to  him  ?  He  has  not  need  to  look  to  thy  stables  and  their  scanty 
occupants.  The  beasts  hid  in  the  forest,  the  cattle  that  are  by 
thousands  on  the  hills,  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the  wild  beasts  roam- 
ing the  fields — are  all  his  and  before  him.  Why  indeed  should 
he  ask  for  bullocks  and  goats  ?  such  gifts  cannot  benefit  him,  they 
can  only  benefit  thee! 

V.  14,  15.  Art  thou  anxious  to  know  the  sacrifice  which  is 
acceptable  to  him  ?  It  is  ihe\thanksgiving  and  praise  of  a  believing 
heart :  they  must  proceed  from  a  believing  heart,  for  none  can 
thank  and  praise,  but  they  who,  strong  in  faith,  receive  every  bless- 
ing and  possession  which  earth  can  yield,  from  the  hand  of  God. 
See  how  great  is  his  mercy,  since  his  very  requirements  are  blessed 
promises.  To  call  upon  him  in  the  day  of  trouble,  to  take  salvation 
and  to  offer  thanksgiving :  such  are  the  sacrifices  he  desires  us  to 
bring.  Oh,  God,  how  merciful  art  thou,  who  placest  such  glorious 
promises  into  thy  requirements ! 

V.  16 — 20.  God,  who  looketh  at  the  heart,  says  to  the  hypo- 
crite, What  availeth  thy  boasting  before  men  with  the  recounting 
of  my  commandments,  what  availeth  the  utterance  of  my  covenant 
with  thy  lips,  while  I  know  that  thou  art  averse  to  Divine  disci- 
pline? Where  is  the  obedience  to  the  words  of  the  covenant  of 
Sinai?  If  thou  lovest  discipline,  why  dost  thou  not  at  least  de- 
nounce the  sins  of  others?  Thou  knowest  the  sixth  and  seventh 
commandments,  why  makest  thou  fellowship  with  thieves  and 
adulterers  ?  Why  breakest  thou  the  eighth,  breakest  it  shamefully, 
and  givest  false  testimony  against  thine  own  brother?  These  things 
thou  dost,  and  in  long-suffering  I  look  on  for  a  long  time.  Thou 
thinkest  that  my  thoughts  are  like  thine;  but  the  time  will  come, 
sooner  or  later,  when  I  shall  surely  punish  thee,  and  it  will  then 
appear  that  I  have  not  forgotten  anything,  though  I  was  silent,  and 
all  will  be  set  in  order  before  thine  eyes. 

F.  21 — 23.  Now  consider  this,  ye  that  forget  God,  give  heed 
to  my  word.  I  warn  you  ere  the  day  come,  when  salvation  is  gone ! 
Mark  it  well :  whoso  offereth  believing  praise  to  me,  glorifieth  me ; 
he  that  ordereth  his  way  by  mine,  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God! 


238  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 


PSALM  LI. 

WE  refer  the  reader  to  the  introduction  to  Psalm  xxxii.  which  was 
probably  occasioned  by  the  same  transgression  which  is  specified  in 
the  title  of  this  psalm.  David  had  passed  a  considerable  time  in 
a  gloomy  sense  of  guilt  and  despair  of  the  mercy  of  God,  but  con- 
vinced by  Nathan's  address  tha.t  the  Lord  was  still  caring  for  him, 
and  had  not  entirely  rejected  him,  he  gathered  courage  once  more 
to  seek  his  God,  to  confess  his  guilt  before  him,  and  to  struggle  for 
his  former  consciousness  of  Divine  aid,  and  the  spirit  of  spon- 
taneous and  cordial  love,  the  absence  of  which  he  now  so  painfully 
realized,  (v.  14.)  Many  similar  prayers  may  at  that  time  have 
ascended  to  heaven,  though  this  only  is  preserved  to  us.  It  fur- 
nishes the  evidence  of  the  depth  of  his  sense  of  guilt,  of  David's 
habitual  relation  to  God,  and  of  his  knowledge  of  the  way  to  recon- 
ciliation. If  it  be  asked  how  a  man  like  David  could  fall  to  such 
a  degree,  we  refer  to  Psalm  xxxii.  where  it  was  shown  in  how 
fearful  a  manner  the  history  of  even  a  David  exhibits  the  fatality 
of  evil,  which  with  an  unrelenting  force  urges,  as  it  were,  even  the 
disinclined,  from  the  first  step  of  guilt  on  to  the  second,  and  from 
the  second  to  the  third.  David  had  never  anticipated  that  the 
bloodguiltiness,  for  which  he  mourns  in  v.  16,  would  ever  have 
been  added  to  his  adultery. 

Re-appearing  with  downcast  eye  before  his  God,  he  seeks  to 
regain  his  affection  by  the  confession  of  his  guilt,  that  abstracting 
from  human  relations  he  had  recognized  the  eternity  of  his  guilt 
as  a  violation  of  the  eternal  laws  of  God,  and  that  he  was  conscious 
not  only  of  the  sinfulness  of  his  works,  but  of  his  being,  (v.  6 — 8.) 
He  knows  the  delights  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  (v.  9 — 11,)  and 
recollects  the  time  when  God  was  reigning  over  and  in  him, 
(v.  12 — 14.)  If  it  is  to  return  once  more,  he  promises  to  make 
the  conversion  of  transgressors  the  end  of  his  life,  (v.  15 — 17.)  He 
knows  God's  fundamental  condition  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
(v.  18—19.) 

1.2  npO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Nathan 
X        the  prophet  came  unto  him,  after  he  had  gone  in  to 
Bathsheba. 

3  Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  God, 
According  to  thy  loving-kindness : 

According  unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies 
Blot  out  my  transgressions. 

4  Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity, 
And  cleanse  me  from  my  sin. 


PSALM  LI.  239 

5  For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions : 
And  my  sin  is  ever  before  me. 

6  Against  THEE,  THEE  ONLY,  have  I  sinned, 
And  done  evil  in  thy  sight : 

That  thou  mightest  be  justified  when  thou  speakest, 
And  be  clear  when  thou  judgest. 

7  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity  (or,  I  was  gotten  of 

sinful  seed;) 
And  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me. 

8  Behold,  thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts : 

And  in  the  hidden  part  thou  shalt  make  me  to  know 
wisdom. 

9  Purge  (lit.  "free  me  from  sin  with")  me  with  hyssop,  and 

I  shall  be  clean: 
Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 

10  Make  me  to  hear  joy  and  gladness; 

That  the  bones  which  thou  hast  broken  may  rejoice. 

11  Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins, 
And  blot  out  all  mine  iniquities. 

12  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God ; 

And  renew  a  constant  (or,  "  established")  spirit  within  me. 

13  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence ; 
And  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me. 

14  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation ; 
And  strengthen  me  with  a  willing  spirit. 

15  Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways ;  . 
And  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee. 

16  Deliver  me  from  bloodguiltiness, 

0  God,  thou  God  of  my  salvation ; 

And  my  tongue  shall  sing  aloud  of  thy  righteousness.* 

17  0  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips ; 

And  my  mouth  shall  show  forth  thy  praise. 

18  For  thou  desirest  not  sacrifice;  else  would  I  give  it; 
Thou  delightest  not  in  burnt-offering. 

19  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit: 

A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  0  God,  thou  wilt  not 
despise. 

20  Do  good  in  thy  good  pleasure  unto  Zion : 
Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 


*  Righteousness = love,  cf.  ad.  Psalm  v.  9. 


240  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

21  Then  shalt  thou  be  pleased  with  the  sacrifices  of  right- 
eousness, 

With  burnt-offering  and  whole  burnt-offering: 
Then  shall  they  offer  bullocks  upon  thine  altar.* 

V.  3 — 5.  David  appears  before  his  Lord  burdened  with  uncom- 
mon and  grave  transgression.  He  intimates  his  consciousness  of 
it  by  representing  himself  as  a  man  altogether  disfigured  by  pollu- 
tion, requiring  a  thorough,  i.  e.  a  long-continued  ablution  before  he 
can  get  clean,  and  who,  owing  to  the  greatness  and  uncommonness 
of  his  sin,  can  only  attain  to  purity  by  a  great  and  uncommon  dis- 
play of  the  mercy  of  God. 

V.  6 — 8.  That  conviction  of  sin,  which  stops  at  its  finite  rela- 
tion to  man,  against  whom  we  have  sinned,  cannot  be  called  a  true 
one.  For  the  guilt  of  our  transgressions  against  man  does  by  no 
means  get  effaced  with  God  as  quickly  as  the  tears  of  those  whom 
we  have  offended  on  earth  dry  away,  but  every  offence  against  man 
is  a  violation  of  the  eternal  law  of  God.  So  David  confessed  that 
though  having  transgressed  human  law,  by  far  the  greatest  and 
most  terrible  accusation  of  his  conscience  was  this,  "Thou  hast 
transgressed  the  statutes  and  commandments  of  the  law  of  God !" 
He  felt  himself  condemned  by  his  conscience  without  being  accused 
of  men  (for  supposing  God  to  have  continued  silent,  then  the  con- 
nection of  his  transgressions  was  not  even  known  among  the  peo- 
ple,) and  having  sinned  against  God,  he  could  not  but  acknowledge 
the  justice  of  the  condemning  sentence  of  God.  And  that  is  the 
very  point  which  every  sinner  must  reach  who  desires  to  realize 
the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  As  Paul  says,  "If  we  would  judge 
ourselves,  we  should  not  be  judged."  (1  Cor.  xi.  31.)  The  right 
conviction  of  sin  comprehends  its  being  acknowledged,  not  only  in 
works,  but  also  in  our  entire  being.  The  knowledge  that  the  root 
of  our  sin  is  based  on  an  absence  of  love  to  God,  points  to  deep-seated 
corruption.  So  David  confesses  sinfulness  to  begin  with  the  life 
of  man,  and  that  not  only  his  works,  but  man  himself,  is  guilty 
before  God.  He  is  well  aware  of  the  difficulty  of  such  a  confession 
to  the  self-complacent  heart  of  man.  Now  the  Lord  desires  us 
above  all  things  to  be  truthful  to  ourselves,  for  otherwise  we  cannot 
be  truthful  to  him.  Man  must  on  that  account  not  withdraw  him- 

*  The  observations  on  Psalm  xiv.  7,  apply  to  the  last  two  verses  of  this 
psalm.  They  were  added  when  the  psalm  was  sung  in  the  exile  (Rosen- 
mtiller,  Umbreit,  Koster.)  As  v.  19  seemed  to  speak  too  lightly  of  the  sacri- 
fices, so  v.  21  seems  to  reestablish  their  import.  The  varying  interpre- 
tations of  Calvin,  Bucer,  Miiis,  Paulus,  De  Wette,  Ewald,  are  either  wrong 
or  not  clear.  According  to  our  view,  the  last  couplet  contains  two,  while 
the  former  ones  have  three  verses  each,  which  is  also  the  case  with  Psalms 
xxxv.  27 ;  xxxviii.  22.  Krister  divides  the  psalm  after  the  formula  4,  9,  4, 
which  is  by  no  means  to  be  preferred. 


PSALM   LI.  241 

self  from  God.  The  Psalmist  is  so  thoroughly  impressed  with  the 
resistance  of  his  sinful  nature  to  yield  to  such  a  confession,  that  he 
ascribes  his  knowledge  to  Divine  illumination. 

V.  9 — 11.  He  ventures  to  supplicate  forgiveness  after  his  con- 
fession :  he  is  a  leper  needing  to  be  purged  with  hyssop :  (Lev. 
xiv.  4 :)  he  is  blood-stained,  and  God  alone  can  remove  the  stain. 
(Isaiah  i.  18.)  The  allusion  to  hyssop  is  significant.  This 
unseemly  shrub,  which  thrives  on  rubbish  and  walls,  symbolical  of 
Divine  condescension,  mixed  with  the  noble  wood  of  the  cedar, 
symbolical  of  Divine  majesty,  used  to  be  employed  in  purifications 
from  sin  (Numb.  xix.  6,)  and  leprosy,  which  latter  may  be  regarded 
as  a  symbol  of  sin.  Both  the  greatness  and  condescension  of  God 
are  needed  for  the  reconciliation  of  man.  The  Psalmist  desires  to 
intimate  his  need  of  Divine  condescension.*  He  longs  to  hear 
that  word,  which,  though  its  sound  die  away  in  the  hearing  of  the 
self-satisfied,  settles  refreshing  as  the  morning  dew  on  the  broken 
heart,  having  joy  and  delights  in  its  retinue,  namely,  the  word/or- 
giveness. 

V.  12 — 14.  Judiciously  judging  that  our  future  cannot  improve, 
while  the  past  remains  uncancelled,  David  prayed  for  forgiveness 
of  the  past  before  he  turns  from  the  present  to  the  future.  Equally 
conscious  that  the  beginning  and  progress  of  improvement  must 
take  place  in  the  strength  of  God,  he  turns  to  the  source  from 
which  every  good  gift  is  derived,  praying  not  only  for  this  virtue 
or  that,  but  for  a  clean  heart,  and  having  no  confidence  in  his  own 
resolves,  he  supplicates  a  new,  firm,  and  constant*)*  Spirit  from 
above.  Prom  the  contemplation  of  his  transgression,  his  yearning 
look  reverts  to  the  past,  when  the  hand  of  God  rested  blessingly 
on  him,  when  the  holy  Spirit  of  God  gave  strength  to  his  heart, 
when  he  was  daily  experiencing  the  aid  of  God,  and  his  works 
were  voluntary  offerings. 

F.  15 — 17.  Were  such  seasons  to  return  once  more,  how  great 
should  his  thank-offerings  be.  He  here  vows,  and  afterwards 
really  performed  in  Psalm  xxxii.  9,  and  many  other  psalms,  to 
show  his  gratitude  by  referring  every  one  in  need  of  forgiveness  to 
this  fountain  of  forgiveness.  Since  God  desires  not  the  praise  of 
unclean  lips,  we  need  not  be  astonished  that  David  still  feels  his 
lips  tied.  Bloodguiltiness  oppresses  his  soul.  Recollecting  the 
time  of  his  communion  with  Him  who  has  the  power  to  condemn 
and  to  absolve,  and  having  regained  courage,  he  supplicates  him 
first  to  remove  guilt  from  his  heart,  and  thereby  the  restraint  from 
his  lips.  If  he  opens  his  lips,  no  accuser  will  be  suffered  to  shut 
them  again,  for  who  can  bind  on  earth  what  is  loosed  in  heaven  ? 
F.  18,  19.  He  would  give  any  and  everything  were  the  seasons 

*  Cf.  Hengstenberg's  Moses  and  Egypt,  p.  183. 
t  Cf-  "ViM  Gen-  xli-  32« 
21 


242  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

to  return  when  he  enjoyed  communion  with  God,  a  cheerful  heart 
and  a  constant  spirit,  when  the  protection  of  God  was  spread  out 
over  him,  and  his  Spirit  reigned  in  his  heart.  Let  none  imagine 
that  the  price  of  many  thousand  offerings  were  too  much  for  him ; 
sacrifice  and  burnt-offering,  if  they  could  buy  his  peace,  he  would 
gladly  give.  The  wisdom  which  was  given  to  him  in  hours  of 
illumination  (vide  ad.  Psalm  xl.  7;  Psalm  1.)  taught  him  that 
God  prizes  only  the  broken  bones  of  the  burnt-offering  if  emblem- 
atic of  the  broken  heart,  and  the  slain  beast  if  emblematic  of  the 
slain  self-will  of  the  offerer.  Though  this  expression  sounds  as  if 
David  rejected  all  sacrifice,  other  passages  of  Holy  Writ  show  that 
such  a  manner  of  expression  is  selected  for  the  purpose  of  directing 
special  attention  to  the  last  member  of  a  sentence :  e.  g.  Paul  says, 
"He  therefore  that  despiseth (man,)  despiseth  not  man  ZmrfGod."* 
Sacrifice  is  the  yielding  >  resigning,  or  giving  up  of  a  thing.  The 
best  sacrifice  which  a  sinner  can  offer  God  is  his  heart,  which  gives 
up  its  sinful  will,  as  hitherto  exhibited  in  acts,  to  the  consuming 
flame  of  repentance,  and  yields  its  newly-awakened  desire  in  child- 
like faith  to  God,  to  be  strengthened  and  glorified  by  him.  (Cf. 
Psalm  xxxiv.  19;  Isa.  Ivii.  15.) 


PSALM  LII. 

A  PSALM  of  David  occasioned  by  the  following  circumstances.  On 
his  flight  from  the  court  and  the  borders  of  Israel,  he  had  entered 
the  house  of  Ahimelech,  the  priest,  at  Nob,  and  asked  him  for  a 
meal  and  a  weapon.  Doeg,  the  director  of  the  herdsmen  and 
flocks  of  the  king,  hereupon  accused  David  and  the  priest  of  a  con- 
spiracy against  the  life  of  the  king,  and  afterwards,  in  obedience  to 
the  injunction  of  Saul,  slew  eighty-five  helpless  priests  whom  none 
other  of  the  servants  of  the  king  ventured  to  touch.  (1  Sam.  xxi. 
1 — 10;  xxii.  1 — 20.)  David  probably  penned  this  psalm  after 
Abiathar,  the  son  of  Ahimelech,  had  come  and  apprized  him  of  the 
event.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  20,  21.) 

1.2  rpo  the  chief  Musician,  a  Poem  of  David,  when  Doeg 
JL       the  Edomite  came  and  told  Saul,  and  said  unto 

him,  David  is  come  to  the  house  of  Ahimelech. f 
3  Why  boastest  thou  thyself  in  mischief,  0  tyrant, 
Since  the  goodness  of  God  endureth  continually  ? 

*  1  Thess.  iv.  8;  Winer's  Grammar  of  the  New  Testament,  p.  464. 
f  1  Samuel,  xxii.  9. 


PSALM  LII.  243 

4  Thy  tongue  deviseth  mischiefs, 

Like  a  sharp  razor,  0  worker  of  deceit ! 

5  Thou  lovest  evil  more  than  good; 

And  lying  rather  than  to  speak  righteousness.     Selah. 

6  Thou  lovest  all  devouring  words, 

0  thou  deceitful  tongue. 

7  God  shall  likewise  destroy  thee  for  ever, 

He  shall  take  thee  away,  and  pluck  thee  out  of  thy  dwell- 
ing-place, 
And  root  thee  out  of  the  land  of  the  living.     Selah. 

8  The  righteous  also  shall  see,  and  fear, 
And  shall  laugh  at  him : 

9  "  Lo,  this  is  the  man  that  made  not  God  his  strength  ; 
But  trusted  in  the  abundance  of  his  riches, 

And  strengthened  himself  in  his  wickedness." 

10  But  I  am  like  a  green  olive  tree  in  the  house  of  God  : 

1  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God  for  ever  and  ever. 

11  1  will  praise  thee  for  ever,  because  thou  hast  done  it : 
And  I  will  wait  on  thy  name  ; 

For  it  is  good  before  thy  saints. 

V.  3.  The  mighty  ones,  on  prospering  in  their  affairs,  arro- 
gantly think  to  have  wrested  the  dominion  from  the  hands  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  weak  in  faith  persuade  themselves  that  such  is  really 
the  case.  But  just  on  that  account  God  will  not  persist  in  silence. 
David  has  so  often  had  occasion  to  experience  this,  that  he  can 
now  defy  appearances,  and  while  the  mischief  of  men  seemingly 
wields  the  sceptre,  to  exclaim :  "  The  goodness  of  God  endureth 
continually." 

V.  4 — 6.  One  should  think  that  even  savages  would  benefit  the 
homeless,  whose  life  is  endangered  by  unjust  hatred  and  suspicion. 
On  Saul's  inquiring  of  his  servants  the  abode  of  the  fugitive 
David,  and  promising  them  reward,  they  at  least  persist  in  silence. 
A  lenient  word  of  defence  would  have  been  appropriate;  for  Saul 
in  his  blindness  thinks  that  David  aims  at  his  life.  They  are 
silent — but  Doeg  speaks.  He  fans  by  treacherous  speech  the  sus- 
picions of  Saul  instead  of  softening  them.  He  declares  that  he  has 
seen  the  compassionate  priest  giving  a  meal  and  a  weapon  to  the 
anointed  of  the  Lord,  who  was  obliged  to  flee  beyond  the  borders 
of  Israel.  He  asperses  charity  with  treason.  (Cf.  Saul's  speech  to 
Ahimelech,  1  Sam.  xxii.  23.)  He  could  anticipate  the  conse- 
quences :  the  word  escapes,  cutting  like  a  sharp  razor.  The  king 
orders  eighty-five  innocent  men,  helpless  priests  of  God  in  linen 
ephods,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  18;)  to  be  slain.  The  servants  of  the  king 


244  COMMENTARY    ON    THE   PSALMS. 

shrink  with  dismay  from  the  deed — not  so  the  traitor,  who  adds 
murder  to  his  treason. 

V.  7,  8.  "  God  will  show  himself  froward  with  the  froward." 
(Psalm  xviii.  27.)  He  causes  him  to  encounter  what  he  devised 
against  others.  He  is  now  concealed  in  the  shadow  of  God, 
proudly  spreading  his  boughs  like  a  mighty  tree;  but  the  hand  of 
God  is  stronger  by  far,  and  he  shall  be  cut  down.  The  Lord  shall 
make  him  a  spectacle  to  the  righteous :  they  shall  laugh  at  his  folly 
and  fear  the  righteous  Lord.  History  is  replete  with  spectacles  of 
this  kind  to  those  who  have  the  seeing  eye,  though  the  temporal 
judgments  of  God  are  still  influenced  by  the  long-suffering  of  God. 
(Rom.  ii.  4,  5.) 

F.  9.  Those  who  have  not  the  protection  of  God  seek  for  pro- 
tection in  the  things  of  this  world.  Doeg,  the  director  of  the 
herdsmen  and  flocks  of  Saul,  was  in  all  probability  not  a  poor  man : 
yet  he  suffered  himself  to  be  enticed  by  the  reward  of  riches. 
(1  Sam.  xxii.  7.)  It  frequently  happens  that  riches  render  a  man 
more  covetous  than  poverty.  Doeg  sought  for  strength  in  his 
wickedness,  not  in  virtue. 

V.  10,  11.  It  is  the  eternal  assurance  of  faith,  which  no  appear- 
ance can  baffle,  that  he  who  has  cast  his  root  in  God,  shall  flourish 
in  the  house  of  God — i.  e.  in  communion  with  him.  Those  who  do 
not  see  it  in  time  shall  assuredly  see  it  in  eternity.  He  shall 
flourish  and  prosper  like  the  favoured  olive-tree,  which  yields  much 
fruit  without  almost  any  culture,  and  its  leaves  fade  not  even  in 
winter.  (Jer.  xi.  6.)  David  ascribes  all  the  praise  to  God,  for  he 
does  it  and  none  else.  He  therefore  confides  in  his  name,  and 
calmly  waits  for  the  revelation  of  this  name.  Though  others  may 
ignore  it,  to  his  people  God  always  continues  a  cornucopia  of  mercy 
and  grace.  The  greatness  and  beauty  of  their  thoughts  and  hopes 
are  all  concealed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 


PSALM  LIII. 

WITH  slight  variations  the  same  as  Psalm  xiv.  The  alterations 
were  intended  to  render  it  more  adapted  for  liturgical  usage  in  the 
time  of  the  captivity. 


PSALM  LIV. 

THREATENED  with  treason  from  the  citizens  of  Keilah,  the  pur- 
sued servant  of  God  fled  to  the  woody  mountain  heights  near  the 
town  of  Siph.  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  14,  15.)  His  friend  Jonathan  came 


PSALM  LIV.  245 

there  to  comfort  him,  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  16,)  but  the  treachery  of  men 
disturbs  him  even  there,  for  the  Siphites  sent  word  to  Saul. 
(1  Sam.  xxiii.  19.) 

The  Psalmist  has  hardly  begun  to  pour  out  his  complaint, 
(v.  1 — 5,)  and  his  soul  gets  more  calmed,  (v.  6 — 8;)  yea,  he 
rejoices  in  victory,  while  affliction  is  as  yet  present  with  him, 
(v.  9.) 

the  chief  Musician  on  the  harp,  and  instruction  of 
David, 

2  When  the  Siphites  came  and  said  to  Saul:   Doth  not 

David  hide  himself  with  us  ? 

3  Save  me,  0  God,  by  thy  name, 

And  secure  me  justice  by  thy  strength. 

4  Hear  my  prayer,  0  God; 

Give  ear  to  the  words  of  my  mouth. 

5  For  strangers  (barbarians)  are  risen  up  against  me, 
And  oppressors  seek  after  my  soul : 

They  have  not  set  God  before  them.     Selah. 

6  Behold,  God  is  mine  helper ; 

The  Lord  is  with  them  that  uphold  my  soul. 

7  Evil  shall  fall  back  upon  mine  enemies: 
Cut  them  off  in  thy  faithfulness. 

8  I  will  freely  sacrifice  unto  thee : 

I  will  praise  thy  name,  0  LORD,  for  it  is  good. 

9  For  he  hath  delivered  me  out  of  all  trouble : 

And  mine  eye  hath  seen  his  desire  upon  mine  enemies. 

V.  3 — 7.  Men  were  treacherous,  therefore  the  servant  of  God, 
on  being  forsaken  by  men,  flees  to  the  Lord.  He  may  well  do  it, 
for  he  believes  that  God  will  hear  his  prayers.  They  have  not  set 
God  before  them;  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  they  violate  justice 
and  ignore  love.  They  even  ignore  it  towards  the  harmless  one 
who  has  been  unjustly  pursued  for  years,  and  chased  through 
forests  and  deserts  because  of  the  caprice  of  a  suspicious  tyrant. 
David  prays  in  the  faith,  which  is  the  "substance  of  things  hoped 
for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  (Heb.  xi.  1.)  He  roams 
through  the  wood  and  the  desert,  but  the  eye  of  faith  espies  the 
salvation  of  God.  God  will  be  the  helper  of  him  whom  all  men 
have  forsaken.  God  will  recompense  and  cause  their  mischief  to 
fall  back  upon  their  own  head;  he  will  do  it  in  his  faithfulness,  for 
his  word  is  yea  and  amen;  and  he  did  do  it,  for  while  Saul  was  on 
his  pursuit  a  messenger  arrived,  saying,  "  Haste  thee  and  come, 
for  the  Philistines  have  invaded  the  land/'  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  27 :)  and 
the  rock  where  the  deliverance  of  David  took  place  was  called  for 
a  memorial,  "  The  rock  of  escape." 
21* 


246  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

F.  8,  9.  Many  vow  thank-offerings  in  the  hour  of  need,  and 
after  the  need  is  past,  perform  them  with  an  unwilling  disposition; 
but  David  performs  them  with  a  joyous  heart.  Why  should  he  do 
otherwise,  seeing  that  the  name  of  the  Lord  is  so  rich  in  mercy  ? 
The  future  becomes  the  present  to  the  eye  of  faith :  in  the  midst 
of  distress  he  beholds  deliverance;  pursued  by  his  enemies,  he 
sees  his  desire  in  their  downfall :  for  it  is  the  delight  of  the  pious 
to  see  by  the  judgments  of  God  that  "the  government  on  earth  is 
in  the  hand  of  the  Lord."  (Sir.  x.  4.)  David  saw  this  the  second 
time,  when  on  the  Siphites  thinking  to  deliver  him  into  the  hands 
of  Saul,  the  Lord  delivered  his  pursuers  into  his  own.  Even  Saul, 
covered  with  shame,  and  overpowered  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
was  then  constrained  to  exclaim,  "Blessed  be  ihou,myson  David: 
tJiou  shall  both  do  great  things,  and  also  shalt  still  prevail." 
(1  Sam.  xxvi.  25.) 


PSALM  LV. 

A  PSALM  of  David,  composed  on  his  escape  from  Absalom  in  the 
wilderness  near  Jordan,  where  he  Was  informed  of  the  evil  counsel 
of  Ahithophel,  without  knowing  that  Absalom  had  refused  it. 
(2  Sam.  xvii.  21,  22.) 

The  psalm  begins  in  great  disquietude  of  mind,  (v.  2 — 9.;)  the 
picture  of  the  city,  ruled  by  rebels,  and  of  his  faithless  friend, 
arises  before  the  eye  of  the  exiled  king,  (v.  10 — 15.)  His  heart 
revives,  he  takes  comfort  from  the  hope  of  the  ultimate  triumph  of 
his  prayers,  and  concludes  with  an  expression  of  hope,  which, 
however,  seems  to  denote  that  his  disquietude  was  only  partially 
conquered,  (v.  16 — 24.) 

the  chief  Musician  on  the  harp,  an  instruction  of 
David* 

2  Give  ear  to  my  prayer,  0  God : 

And  hide  not  thyself  from  my  supplication. 

3  Attend  unto  me,  and  hear  me : 

I  mourn  in  my  complaint,  and  make  a  noise ;  (or,  "  I  roam 
in  my  complaint  and  cry;") 

4  Because  of  the  voice  of  the  enemy, 
Because  of  the  oppression  of  the  wicked ; 
For  they  cast  iniquity  upon  me, 

And  in  wrath  they  hate  me. 


PSALM   LV.  247 

5  My  heart  is  sore  pained  within  me : 

And  the  terrors  of  death  are  fallen  upon  me : 

6  Fearfulness  and  trembling  are  come  upon  me, 
And  horror  hath  overwhelmed  me. 

7  And  I  said,  Oh,  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove ! 
For  then  would  I  fly  away,  and  be  at  rest. 

8  Lo,  then  would  I  wander  far  off, 

And  remain  (or,  "  find  rest")  in  the  wilderness.    Selah. 

9  I  would  hasten  my  escape 

From  the  sweeping  storm  and  tempest. 

10  Destroy,  0  Lord,  and  divide  their  tongues : 
For  I  have  seen  violence  and  strife  in  the  city. 

11  Day  and  night  they  go  about  it  upon  the  walls  thereof: 
Mischief  also  and  sorrow  are  in  the  midst  of  it. 

12  Wickedness  is  in  the  midst  thereof: 
Deceit  and  guile  depart  not  from  her  streets. 

13  For  it  was  not  an  enemy  that  reproached  me ; 
Then  I  could  have  borne  it: 

Neither  was  it  he  that  hated  me  that  did  magnify  himself 

against  me ; 
Then  I  would  have  hid  myself  from  him  t 

14  But  it  was  thou,  a  man  whom  I  made  mine  equal, 
My  guide,  and  mine  acquaintance. 

15  We  took  sweet  counsel  together, 

And  walked  unto  the  house  of  God  in  company  (or,  "  with 
the  crowd.") 

16  Let  death  seize  upon  them, 

And  let  them  go  down  alive  into  Sheol, 

For  wickedness  is  in  their  dwellings,  and  among  them. 

17  As  for  me,  I  will  call  upon  God; 
And  the  LORD  shall  save  me. 

18  Evening,  and  morning,  and  at  noon,  will  I  pray, 
And  cry  aloud : 

And  he  shall  hear  my  voice. 

19  He  shall  deliver  my  soul  in  peace  from  the  battle  that  is 

against  me : 
For  there  are  many  against  me. 

20  God  shall  hear,  and  afflict  them, 

Even  he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  from  everlasting. 

Selah. 

Because  they  have  no  changes, 
Therefore  they  fear  not  God. 


248  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

21  He  hath  put  forth  his  hands  against  such  as  be  at  peace 

with  him : 
He  hath  broken  his  covenant. 

22  'The  words  of  his  mouth  was  smoother  than  butter, 
But  war  was  in  his  heart  : 

His  words  were  softer  than  oil, 
Yet  were  they  drawn  swords. 

23  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  LORD, 
And  he  shall  sustain  thee : 

He  shall  never  suffer  the  righteous  to  be  moved. 

24  But  thou,  0  God,  shalt  bring  them  down  into  the  pit  of 

destruction : 
Bloody  and  deceitful  men  shall  not  live  out  half  their 

days; 
But  I  will  trust  in  thee. 

F.  2 — 5.  It  was  an  anxious  hour  when  David  poured  out  his 
soul  in  this  psalm  before  the  Lord.  On  his  first  leaving  the  city 
(Cf.  Psalm  iii.)  he  enjoyed  a  calm  mind,  but  learning  the  insult 
conferred  upon  him  by  his  own  son  in  obedience  to  the  counsel  of 
Ahithophel,  (2  Sam.  xvi.  21,)  as  well  as  AhithopheFs  new  schemes 
for  his  destruction,  he  became  deeply  moved.  He  has  neither 
rest  nor  peace :  in  the  measure  as  his  heart  is  excited,  so  roams  his 
complaint — now  in  this  direction,  now  in  that.  He  hears  as  it 
were  the  voice  of  the  enemy  from  Jerusalem,  and  is  afraid  lest 
they  should  lay  hands  on  the  Lord's  anointed.  And  his  own 
deluded  child  leads  his  enemies.  His  heart  may  well  be  sore 
pained. 

F.  6 — 9.  He  prepares  to  leave  the  frontiers  of  Canaan,  (Cf.  ad. 
Psalm  xlii.  7:)  he  feels  the  presence  of  men  a  burden,  and  would 
like  best  to  hasten  to  remote  deserts.  We  smart  more  beneath 
the  strokes  which  the  hand  of  man,  than  those  which  the  hand  of 
God,  inflicts  upon  us :  he  got  almost  wroth  with  the  fair  counte- 
nance of  man.  Like  a  timid  dove,  chased  by  the  tempest,  hastens 
to  her  window,  (Isaiah  Ix.  8,)  so  he  desires  simply  to  fly  away  to 
some  remote  desert  or  elsewhere,  to  find  a  refuge  from  the  rising 
storm.*  Absalom  was  advancing  with  an  army  of  upwards  of 
twenty  thousand,  (2  Sam.  xviii.  7,)  and  his  faithless  subjects  fol- 
low the  new  sovereign. 

*  He  was  already  in  a  desert  when  he  received  the  news  from  the  city, 
(see  Introd.  ad.  Psalm  Ixiii.)  but  that  desert  near  Jordan  on  the  northern 
portion  of  the  Dead  Sea  was  not  far  from  Jerusalem,  and  might  at  any  time 
be  occupied  by  the  foe.  But  David  desires  to  wander  to  a  remote  desert 
— totally  separate  from  human  intercourse.  So  Jeremiah  exclaims,  "Oh, 
that  I  had  in  the  wilderness  a  lodging-place  of  wayfaring  men ;  then  would 
I  leave  my  people  and  go  from  them."  (Jer.  ix.  2.) 


PSALM  LV.  249 

F.  10 — 12.  He  has  received  news  respecting  the  state  of  things 
in  the  city.  (1  Sam.  xvii.  21.)  We  may  readily  imagine  what 
things  are,  when  rebels  dethrone  the  rightful  sovereign.*  David 
had  preferred  the  odium  of  flight  to  exposing  the  whole  city  to  the 
edge  of  the  sword.  (2  Sam.  xv.  14.)  Violence  and  strife,  sad 
watchmen,  go  about  her  walls.  Sorrow  reigns  in  her  midst. 
Wickedness  within,  deceit  and  guile  without  her  gates  where  the 
markets  were  held.  There  the  kings  used  to  establish  their 
throne,  (1  Kings  xxii.  10;  Jer.  xxxviii.  7,)  giving  counsel  and 
judgment  to  the  people.  Absalom  probably  there  conferred  with 
AWthophel,  and  there  sat  in  judgment  too;  for  with  the  promise 
of  more  equitable  judgments,  he  had  seduced  the  people  to  desert 
his  father.  (2  Sam.  xv.  4.)  But  besides  these  acts  of  oppression, 
the  thought  of  the  transgression  which  Absalom  committed  in  the 
sight  of  all  Israel  grieved  David  most :  his  deluded  son  had  at  the 
instigation  of  a  treacherous  friend  perpetrated  incest  with  his 
father's  wives,  that  "all  Israel  shall  hear  that  Tie  had  caused  his 
father's  name  to  be  abhorred."  (2  Sam.  xvi.  21.)  The  insulted 
king  exclaims,  "  Destroy,  O  Lord,  divide  their  tongues."  His  first 
thought  on  hearing  of  AhithophePs  desertion  was,  "0  Lord,  I 
pray  thee,  turn  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel  to  foolishness,"  (2  Sam. 
xv.  31,)  and  his  prayer  was  heard. 

F.  13 — 15.  We  know  what  we  have  to  expect  from  an  enemy: 
if  we  can  protect  ourselves,  we  need  not  move.  But  if  a  friend 
aims  a  blow,  we  have  not  only  gained  a  foe,  but  lost  a  friend:  we 
feel  the  blow,  though  we  should  succeed  in  evading  it.  Honest 
David,  who  had  remained  faithful  for  many  years  to  Saul,  his  infu- 
riated persecutor,  must  have  doubly  felt  such  blows.  How  great 
had  been  his  attachment  to  Ahithophel!  "As  if  a  man  had 
inquired  at  the  oracle  of  God,  so  was  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel  to 
David."  (2  Sam.  xvi.  23.)  David  had  given  him  his  heart,  raised 
him  to  equality  with  himself  in  government,  shown  to  him  sweet 
friendship  at  home,  and  in  sight  of  all  the  people  gone  with  him  to 
the  temple  of  God.  Thus  treated  a  king  his  subject.  That  same 
friend  could  now  advise  "to  cause  the  name  of  David  to  be  abhor- 
red by  all  Israel."  David,  thou  who  didst  find  a  Jonathan,  and 
experience  in  him  the  sweets  of  friendship,  hast  been  obliged  to 
taste  in  this  case  its  bitter ! 

F.  16 — 18.  Is  David,  so  greatly  disappointed  in  his  friend,  and 
having  by  the  treachery  of  a  friend  lost  the  love  of  his  people  as 
well  as  his  throne,  to  be  blamed  for  desiring  the  due  recompense 
of  such  great  wickedness?  His  mind  gets  calmer,  and  he  uses  the 
remedy,  which  when  all  others  have  vanished  still  remains  to  the 

*  A  better  translation  may  probably  be,  "Yea,  I  see."  David  would 
then  describe  how  with  his  mind's  eye  he  sees  the  punishments  for  which 
he  prayed  as  already  accomplished. 


250  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

godly,  namely,  prayer.  Knowing,  however,  that  God  is  not  satis- 
fied with  a  transient  emotion  of  the  heart,  that  he  desires  above  all 
faith,  and  as  faith  cannot  otherwise  reveal  itself  than  in  persevering 
prayer,  though  help  may  be  delayed,  he  promises  to  persevere  in 
prayer  to  the  end.  A  master  in  prayer  like  David  could  make  this 
promise  the  easier,  since  he  did  not  so  much  regard  the  fruit  of 
prayer  as  prayer  itself,  and  was  no  doubt  familiar  with  its  delights. 
He  specifies  three  hours  of  the  day,  at  which  he  promises  to  call 
upon  God  with  a  loud  voice,  meaning  thereby  that  the  loud  cry  of 
the  mouth  should  in  the  interval  be  echoed  back  by  the  gentle 
voice  of  the  heart. 

V.  19 — 22.  Though  unable  ie  see  that  his  prayer  is  answered, 
he  believes  it.  To  this  effect  lie  assures  himself  that  his  prayer 
will  be  answered  for  two  reasons.  The  first,  that  the  government 
of  God  is  the  same  now  as  it  was  of  old;  the  second,  that  there  is 
no  hope  of  a  change  for  the  better  with  the  rebels  who  fear  not 
God.  Remembering  them  anew,  he  once  more  tells  God  that 
theirs  is  an  uncommon  offence  against  God  and  man,  in  having 
violated  the  bonds  of  friendship,  and  deceived  under  the  mask  of 
hypocrisy. 

F.  23,  24.  The  commencement  of  this  psalm  showed  how 
heavy  was  the  burden  which  oppressed  his  heart.  How  great  is 
the  blessedness  of  the  godly  in  being  able  to  pray !  He  has  got 
rid  of  the  burden  by  casting  it  upon  the  Lord.  (Psalm  xxxvii.  5; 
1  Peter  v.  7.)  His  faith  unflinchingly  adheres  to  the  eternal  law, 
that  the  righteous  shall  never  be  moved — the  righteous  being  he 
who  cleaves  to  God.  The  Old  Testament  saints  had  to  adhere  to 
this  with  less  light  of  revelation  than  that  which  we  enjoy,  and  yet 
probably  kept  it  better  than  we.  He  desires  the  immediate  fulfil- 
ment of  the  truth  of  his  hope,  in  praying  for  an  extraordinary 
divine  punishment  to  remove  his  adversaries  in  the  midst  of  their 
days.  And  so  it  happened,  for  Ahithophel,  the  originator  of  the 
mischief,  hanged  himself;  Absalom  died  suddenly  by  the  hand  of 
Joab ;  the  greater  part  of  his  rebellious  followers  perished  in  the 
ravines  of  the  mountains  of  Ephraim,  in  the  wood  of  Ephraim, 
where  the  decisive  battle  took  place,  and  many  were  consumed  by 
the  sword.  (2  Sam.  xviii.  8.) 


PSALM  LVI. 

A  PSALM  of  David,  when  he  had  fled  from  the  court  of  Saul  and 
the  land  of  his  fathers  to  the  Philistines  in  Gath,  where  they  seized 
him  who  had  slain  Goliath.  (1  Sam.  xxi.  10.)  He  had  still  with 
him  the  sword  of  Goliath,  which  Ahimelech  gave  him.  Gath  was 


PSALM   LVI.  251 

moreover  the  native  city  of  Goliath.  His  enterprise  was  on  that 
account  very  hazardous.  He  did  indeed  not  go  before  the  king 
(1  Sam.  xxi.  12,  etc.)  of  his  own  accord,  but,  intending  to  conceal 
himself,  was  seized. 

This  psalm  was  probably  composed  at  the  time  when  they  were 
searching  for  him.  Twice  bitterly  complaining  against  man,  he 
twice  gets  strengthened  through  faith  in  the  word  of  Him  against 
whom  all  mankind  cannot  prevail,  (v.  5 — 11, 12.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  concerning  the  silent  dove  in  a 
JL       far-away  country,  A  golden  Psalm  of  David,  when 

the  Philistines  took  him  in  Gath. 

2  Be  merciful  unto  me,  0  God :  for  man  would  swallow 

me  up; 
.   He  fighting  daily  oppresseth  me. 

3  Mine  enemies  would  daily  swallow  me  up ; 

For  they  be  many  that  fight  against  me,  0  thou  Most  High. 

4  What  time  I  am  afraid, 
I  will  trust  in  thee. 

5  In  God  I  will  praise  his  word, 
In  God  I  have  put  my  trust ; 

I  will  fear  not  what  flesh  can  do  unto  me. 

6  Every  day  they  wrest  my  words : 

All  their  thoughts  are  against  me  for  evil. 

7  They  gather  themselves  together, 

They  hide  themselves,  they  mark  my  steps, 
When  they  wait  for  my  soul. 

8  Shall  they  escape  by  iniquity? 

In  thine  anger  cast  down  the  people,  0  God. 

9  Thou  tellest  my  wanderings : 

Put  thou  my  tears  into  thy  bottle : 
Are  they  not  in  thy  book  ? 

10  When  I  cry  unto  thee,  then   shall  mine  enemies  turn 

back: 
This  I  know;  FOR  GOD  is  FOR  ME,  (or,  "  GOD  is  MINE.") 

11  In  God  will  I  praise  his  word : 

In  the  LORD  will  I  praise  his  word. 

12  In  God  have  I  put  my  trust : 

I  will  not  be  afraid  what  man  can  do  unto  me. 

13  Thy  vows  are  upon  me,  0  God,  (or,  "  I  owe  vows  unto 

thee,  0  God:") 
I  will  render  praises  unto  thee. 


252  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

14  For  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  death : 

Wilt  not  thou  deliver  my  feet  from  falling  (or,  "  my  feet 

from  falling,"*) 
That  I  may  walk  before  God  in  the  light  of  the  living  ? 

V.  1 — 3.  The  title  furnishes  the  index  to  the  sense  of  David's 
desertion,  in  which  he  calls  himself  an  innocent  mute  dove,  driven 
away  from  her  native  country.  He  submitted  to  everything  with- 
out any  resistance.  Encountering  everywhere  enemies,  he  regards 
all  men  as  such.  (Cf.  v.  5.)  He  had  but  recently  experienced  the 
enmity  of  Doeg,  and  meets  new  enemies  in  a  foreign  land,  where 
he  might  at  least  have  hoped  to  be  secure  from  Saul.  They  would 
daily  swallow  him  up.  Saul  gave  him  no  rest.  At  Nob  he  found 
Doeg,  and  here  the  enemies  of  his  nation,  who  are  equally  his  ene- 
mies. So  many  are  against  him,  and  that  insolently,  for  they 
despise  the  regal  dignity  which  the  Lord  had  conferred  upon  him. 

V.  4,  5.  He  has  no  one  with  him  in  whom  to  confide :  but  he 
trusts  in  that  support  which  though  invisible  to  human  eye  is  yet 
beheld  by  faith — the  word  of  the  Lord.  What  is  all  flesh  com- 
pared to  that  rock :  as  he  refers  to  some  specific  word,  he  probably 
alludes  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  by  which  Samuel  had  promised  the 
royal  throne  of  Israel  to  the  shepherd  youth.  Jonathan,  though 
Saul's  son,  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  17,)  trusted  in  that  word;  and  Saul 
himself  submitted  to  it  and  said  to  David,  "  Thou  shalt  do  both 
great  things  and  also  shalt  still  prevail/'  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  25.) 

V.  6 — 8.  David  contemplates  his  present  experience  among 
the  Philistines.  They  probably  assembled  and  consulted  whether 
he  was  the  man  or  not — whether  they  should  take  him  before 
Achish  or  attack  him  at  once;  they  followed  his  steps  lest  they 
should  lose  sight  of  him.  But  he  is  sure  that  if  the  word  of  a  king 
is  to  be  depended  on,  much  more  that  of  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth.  Shall  mischief  prosper  against  the  anointed  of  God  ?  No, 
his  adversaries  are  cast  down. 

V.  9 — 12.  Thus  he  strengthens  his  soul.  His  tears  are  despised 
by  men — but  they  are  precious  before  God,  like  precious  wine, 
enclosed  in  leathern  bottles.  He  suffers  not  one  of  them  to  be  lost. 
The  tears  of  the  pious  are  quickly  dried  up  before  the  eyes  of 
men — they  seem  vile  unto  them — but  the  angels  of  God  gather 
them  up  and  take  them  to  their  place.  The  days  of  the  wander- 
ings of  his  servant,  and  all  his  tears,  are  written  in  the  book  of 
God.  Does  not  this  apply  to  the  tears  of  all  his  servants  ?  What 
an  account  will  that  be,  when  God  shall  one  day  reproach  oppress- 
ors and  tyrants  with  the  tears  of  crushed  innocence  ? 

With  thoughts  like  these  the  Psalmist  edifies  himself,  while  as 

*  /.  e.  without  "Wilt  not  thou  deliver."  Translate  "For  hast  not  thou 
delivered  ray  soul  from  death,  my  feet  from  falling,  that,"  etc. 


PSALM  LVII.  253 

yet  the  tears  flow  down  his  cheeks.  He  sees  the  enemies  recede. 
He  neither  knows  the  manner  of  his  escape  nor  the  end  of  the 
days  of  his  wanderings — he  has  neither  peace,  nor  happiness,  nor 
joy,  but  "this  I  know,  that  God  is  mine."  This  is  the  blessed 
language  of  a  heart  reconciled  to  God.  How  much  more  should 
we  Christians  use  language  like  this !  Blessed  be  God  who  is  so 
near  to  his  creatures!  The  word,  the  word  is  before  the  soul  of 
David :  on  it  he  takes  his  standing  as  on  a  high  rock,  at  the  base 
of  which  the  waves  are  breaking,  and  cries  courageously,  "I  will 
not  be  afraid  what  man  can  do  unto  me." 

F.  13,  14.  He  thinks  of  songs  of  praise  while  he  sings  as  yet 
psalms  of  complaint,  of  vows  of  gratitude  while  he  prays.  He 
knows  not  how  his  escape  will  be — but  he  is  sure  that  some  escape 
will  come.  Such  deliverances  need  not  always  be  miraculous.  In 
this  instance  it  was  the  sagacity  of  the  persecuted  king  which 
opened  the  door  of  escape :  the  thought  was  given  him  to  feign 
madness  before  the  king.  Others  would  have  praised  their  own 
sagacity  at  such  a  thought,  but  David  knows  that  even  wise 
thoughts  flow  to  man  in  the  hour  of  need  from  no  other  source 
than  from  the  Father  of  light,  from  whom  cometh  every  good  and 
perfect  gift. 


PSALM  LVII. 

A  PSALM  composed  when  David  fled  from  Saul  in  the  cave 
which  is  referred  to  in  Psalm  cxlii.,  and  which  because  it  is  with- 
out any  other  distinction  called  "the  cave,"  is  probably  that  cele- 
brated cave  where  David  with  his  six  hundred  followers  lay  con- 
cealed, (Cf.  1  Sam.  xxiii.  13,)  when  Saul  entered  and  David  cut 
off  the  skirt  of  his  robe,  (1  Sam.  xxiv.  4.)  The  king,  accompanied 
by  three  thousand  followers,  chased*  him  to  the  loftiest  alpine 

*  A  traveller  (Fuerer  of  Hainendorf)  describes  the  wilderness  of  Engedi, 
where  that  mountain  was :  "It  is  a  long  and  awful  mountain  range  by  the 
Dead  Sea,  where  only  few  shepherds  dwell,  that  have  no  houses,  but  live 
with  their  cattle  in  the  caverns  of  the  rocks."  A  difficult  path  through 
cliffs  led  from  Engedi,  situate  on  the  shore,  to  Jerusalem,  (2  Chron.  xx.  16.) 
Robinson  says  respecting  it,  (Palestine,  vol.  ii.  p.  438:)  "This  path 
descends  in  zikzak,  frequently  below  the  most  precipitous  corner,  which 
horses  only  know  how  to  make,  and  runs  partly  along  projecting  rocks 
down  the  perpendicular  side  of  the  cliff  and  then  down  the  almost  equally 
precipitous  ruins.  My  companion  had  roamed  over  the  heights  of  Lebanon 
and  the  mountains  of  Persia,  I  myself  ascended  the  Alps,  but  neither  of  us 
had  ever  met  with  so  difficult  and  perilous  a  pass."  The  sea  is  seen 
1500  feet  below  the  spectator  (not  500  according  to  the  Text,  vide  Hall. 
Lit.  Zeit.  1842.  No.  71.) 
22 


254  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

heights — "to  the  sheep-cotes/'  where  the  cattle  was  driven  in  the 
hottest  summer  months  only — to  hunt  him  in  every  hiding-place. 
There  was  a  cave,  in  the  darkened  cool  of  which  David  and  his 
men  were  hid.  Such  caves  in  Palestine  and  the  East  are  fre- 
quently enlarged  by  human  hands,  and  so  capacious  that  they 
accomodate  thousands  of  people.  This  song  of  complaint  was  sung 
during  the  hours  of  suspense  which  David  spent  there  to  wait  until 
the  calamity  was  overpast,  (v.  2,)  in  which  he  only  gradually 
gains  a  stout  heart,  (v.  8.)  His  life  was  really  suspended  by  a 
hair  if  Saul  or  any  of  his  attendants  had  espied  him ! 

The  psalm  begins  with  a  mind  already  grown  calm,  twice  aris- 
ing from  the  mournful  present  to  the  sublime  hope  that  the  Lord 
shall  display  his  glory  overall  the  earth,  (v.  2 — 6,  7 — 12.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune,  "Destroy  not,"  A 
JL         golden  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  fled  from  Saul 

in  the  cave. 

2  Be  merciful  unto  me,  0  God,  be  merciful  unto  me  : 
For  my  soul  trusteth  in  thee  (or,  "fleeth  to  thee:") 
Yea,  in  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  make  my  refuge. 
Until  these  calamities  be  overpast. 

3  I  will  cry  unto  God  most  high : 

Unto  God  that  performeth  all  things  for  me. 

4  He  shall  send  from  heaven,  and  save  me 

From  the  reproach  of  him  that  would  swallow  me  up. 

Selah. 
God  shall  send  forth  his  mercy  and  his  faithfulness. 

5  My  soul  is  among  lions : 

And  I  lie  even  among  them  that  are  set  on  fire, 

Even  the  sons  of  men,  whose  teeth  are  spears  and  arrows, 

And  their  tongue  a  sharp  sword. 

6  Be  thou  exalted,  0  God,  above  the  heavens; 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth. 

7  They  have  prepared  a  net  for  my  steps ; 
My  soul  is  bowed  down : 

They  have  digged  a  pit  before  me, 

Into  the  midst  whereof  they  are  fallen  themselves.    Selah. 

8  My  heart  is  fixed,  0  God,  my  heart  is  fixed  (or,  "  pre- 

pared:") 
I  will  sing  and  give  praise. 

9  Awake  up,  my  glory ;  awake,  psaltery  and  harp : 
I  myself  will  awake  early. 

10  I  will  praise  thee,  0  Lord,  among  the  people: 
I  will  sing  unto  thee  among  the  nations. 


PSALM  LVII.  255 

11  For  thy  mercy  is  as  far  as  the  heavens, 
And  thy  faithfulness  as  far  as  the  clouds. 

12  Be  thou  exalted,  0  God,  above  the  heavens : 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth. 

V.  2 — 4.  This  is  the  basis  of  David's  trust,  that  he  ascribes 
the  honour  to  his  God,  and  knows  no  other  refuge  under  whose 
pinions  he  can  flee.  He  means  to  seek  a  shelter  there,  till  the 
tempest  is  over.  What  may  his  fears  have  been  on  hearing  from 
the  back  part  of  the  cavern  the  noise  of  the  three  thousand  war- 
riors, or  seeing  some  one  enter  the  cave  !  He  knows  that  his  God 
is  not  an  inactive  God,  but  that  the  hand  of  God  is  free  and  power- 
ful, when  his  own  is  lamed.  The  heavens — the  dwelling-place  of 
God — are  high,  but  his  arm  is  not  shortened  that  it  could  not 
reach  down.  Happy  are  we  that  his  mercy  and  faithfulness  is  not 
only  concealed  from  above  us  in  the  clouds,  but  becomes  apparent 
and  reigns  on  earth  among  the  children  of  men. 

V.  5,  6.  It  is  awful  indeed  to  live  amongst  lions  and  tigers 
with  savage  glaring  eyes  and  blood-red  mouths,  but  it  is  more  awful 
to  dwell  among  men  with  the  hearts  of  tigers,  for  the  means  of 
oppression  with  which  the  lion  and  the  tiger  are  furnished  are  con- 
fined to  their  mouths  and  claws,  while  man  has  everything  which 
his  understanding  may  shape  into  instruments  of  malice.  His 
teeth  are  his  spear  and  arrows,  and  the  tender  weak  tongue  he 
wields  as  a  sharp  sword.  He  who  attacks  the  servants  of  the  Lord 
attacks  the  Lord  himself.  David  therefore  cries  to  God  to  show 
his  enemies  the  consequences  of  laying  hands  on  Ms  servants.  He 
prays  him  to  disclose  his  majesty  above  the  heavens,  and  his  glory 
over  all  the  earth,  that  they  might  see  that  they  are  no  mean  peo- 
ple who  serve  such  a  God. 

V.  7.  His  glance  once  more  reverts  to  the  pit  before  him;  his 
soul  is  bowed  down  and  near  the  fall,  but  mentally  he  sees  them 
who  digged  the  pit  fall  into  it  themselves.  They  had  prepared  a 
net  for  the  fugitive,  but  the  persecutors  really  got  caught  in  it. 
This  should  elicit  a  Selah  from  every  feeling  heart ! 

V.  8 — 10.  He  declares  before  his  God  with  jubilant  joy  that 
Ms  heart  is  fixed :  the  plaintive  cry  is  changed  into  the  song  of 
rejoicing  and  the  play  of  the  psaltery.  He  awakens  his  soul,  and  the 
strings  of  his  harp,  feeling  that  having  experienced  mercy  so  rich, 
his  every  nerve  and  vein  ought  to  thrill  with  ecstatic  joy.  How 
remiss  are  men  in  praising  the  Lord  for  undeserved  benefits! 
David  intends  to  awake  with  the  dawn  that  the  praise  of  the  Lord 
may  be  his  first  thought.  He  is  not  satisfied  with  singing  before 
his  people  in  his  own  house :  had  he  a  voice  that  could  be  heard  by 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  he  would  fain  exert  it  to  make  them 
the  participators  of  his  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

F.  11;  12.    A  hard  and  ungrateful  heart  beholds  even  in  pros- 


256  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

perity  only  isolated  drops  of  divine  grace;  but  a  grateful  one  like 
David's,  though  chased  by  persecutors  and  striking  the  harp  in  the 
gloom  of  a  cave,  looks  upon  the  mercy  and  faithfulness  of  God  as 
a  mighty  ocean,  waving  and  heaving  from  the  earth  to  the  clouds, 
and  from  the  clouds  to  the  earth  again. 


PSALM  LVIIL 

THIS  psalm  refers  not  to  real  judges,  which  verse  2  seems  to  inti- 
mate, but,  as  shows  verse  3,  to  such  as  exercise  oppression  in  the 
land.  When  it  is  said,  "  Ye  divide  the  violence  of  your  hands/' 
or,  "  Ye  weigh  it,"  the  allusion  seems  to  be  to  self-revenge  as 
checking  the  exercise  of  the  law.  It  would  be  difficult  to  account 
for  David's  composing  a  psalm  against  the  unjust  judges  of  Saul, 
still  less  against  his  own,  whom  he  would  rather  have  made  to  feel 
the  severity  of  the  laws.  Several  circumstances  render  it  very 
probable  that  this  psalm  was  occasioned  when  Joab  and  his  brother 
had  given  vent  to  their  vengeance  in  assassinating  Abner,  who  had 
slain  their  brother  Asahel  at  Gibeon  in  battle.  (2  Sam.  iii.  30.) 
Abner,  the  valiant  and  generous,  of  whom  David  said  after  his 
decease,  "  Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great  man 
fallen  this  day  in  Israel  V  had  come  full  of  confidence  to  David 
that  he  might  deposit  into  his  hands  the  sceptre  over  the  remain- 
ing tribes  of  Israel.  Not  only  the  vengeance  but  the  ambition  of 
Joab,  who  would  not  endure  him  as  a  rival  in  the  favour  of  David, 
had  led  him  to  violate  hospitality  by  his  base  act — an  act  so  base, 
that  in  the  eyes  of  David's  servants  it  appeared  to  fall  upon  his 
own  head — as  if  he  had  broken  good  faith.  He  says  therefore,  "I 
and  my  kingdom  are  guiltless  before  the  Lord  for  ever  from  the 
blood  of  Abner  the  son  of  Ner :  let  it  rest  on  the  head  of  Joab  and 
on  all  his  father's  house;  and  let  there  not  fail  from  the  house  of 
Joab  one  that  hath  an  issue,  or  that  is  a  leper,  or  that  leaneth  on 
a  staff,  or  that  falleth  on  a  sword,  or  that  lacketh  bread."  He  wept 
with  a  loud  voice  on  the  grave  of  the  noble  hero,  and  sang  his 
funeral  ditty.  "Died  Abner  as  a  fool  dieth?  Thy  hands  were  not 
bound,  nor  thy  feet  put  into  fetters :  as  a  man  falleth  before  wicked 
men,  so  fellest  thou."  The  haughtiness  and  passion  of  Joab  and 
his  brother  had  become  so  intense  that  he  exclaimed,  "These  men, 
the  sons  of  Zeruiah,  be  too  hard  for  me :  the  Lord  shall  reward  the 
doer  of  evil  according  to  his  wickedness."  (2  Sam.  iii.  39.)  Yet 
he  intended  not  to  subject  them  to  righteous  punishment,  as  he  did 
immediately  afterwards  the  sons  of  Kimmon  the  Beerothite,  who 
assassinated  Ishbosheth  the  son  of  Saul.  (2  Sam.  iv.  12.)  But  the 


PSALM  LVIII.  257 

sons  of  Zeruiah  were  too  powerful  for  him,  and  he  therefore  com- 
mitted  their  punishment  to  God — though  he  never  forgot  their 
heinous  crime,  for  on  his  death-bed  he  remembered  the  innocently- 
shed  blood  of  the  prince  in  Israel,  (1  Kings  ii.  5;)  and  charged 
his  son  to  punish  it. 

1  rPO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  "  Destroy  not,"  a 
JL       golden  Psalm  of  David. 

2  Do  ye  indeed  speak  righteousness,  0  congregation  ? 
Do  ye  judge  uprightly,  0  ye  sons  of  men? 

3  Yea,  in  heart  ye  work  wickedness ; 

Ye  weigh  the  violence  of  your  hands  in  the  earth. 

4  The  wicked  are  estranged  from  the  womb : 

They  go  astray  as  soon  as  they  be  born,  speaking  lies. 

5  Their  poison  is  like  the  poison  of  a  serpent : 

They  are  like  the  deaf  adder  that  stoppeth  her  ear ; 

6  Which  will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  charmers, 
Be  the  charmer  never  so  cunning. 

7  Break  their  teeth,  0  God,  in  their  mouth : 

Break  out  the  great  teeth  of  the  young  lions,  0  LORD. 

8  Let  them  melt  away  as  waters  which  run  continually : 
When  they  bend  their  bow  to  shoot  their  arrows,  let  them 

be  as  cut  in  pieces,  (or,  "  blunted.") 

9  As  a  snail  which  melteth,  let  every  one  of  them  pass 

away: 

Like  the  untimely  birth  of  a  woman,  that  they  may  not 
see  the  sun. 

10  Before  your  pots  can  feel  the  thorns, 

He  shall  take  them  away  as  with  a  whirlwind,  both  living 
and  burning. 

11  The  righteous  shall  rejoice  when  he  seeth  the  vengeance: 
He  shall  wash  his  feet  in  the  blood  of  the  wicked. 

12  So  that  a  man  shall  say,  Verily,  there  is  a  reward  for  the 

righteous : 
Verily,  he  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth. 

V.  2,  3.  People  seek  always  to  justify  self-revenge  though  it 
interferes  with  the  exercise  of  the  law;  these  two  fierce  brothers 
may  probably  have  made  it  their  boast  that  they  did  right.  But 
the  funeral  ditty  on  Abner  which  David  sang,  compelled  them  to 
hear  before  all  the  people  that  the  noble  hero  fell  by  the  violence 
of  assassins.  They  could  not  even  say,  We  have  dealt  with  Abner 
as  he  dealt  with  our  brother,  for  Asahel  fell  by  the  hand  of  Abner 
in  open  battle,  nor  did  Abner  aim  his  spear  at  him  till  after  he  had 
22* 


258  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

in  vain  addressed  to  him  words  of  earnest  and  friendly  admoni- 
tion. (2  Sam.  ii.  23.)  David  calls  it  a  wickedness  in  or  from  the 
heart,  for  the  deed  had  been  perpetrated  with  forethought  and 
cunning. 

V.  4 — 6.  Nor  was  it  a  single  act  of  violence :  he  could  have 
forgiven  that.  Deceit  and  oppression  lay  blended  with  courage  in 
the  breast  of  the  two  brothers.  Penitence  would  have  prevented 
the  second  crime,  if  it  had  merely  been  the  ebullition  of  passion. 
The  same  Joab,  while  saying  to  Amasa,  his  envied  under-captain, 
"Art  thou  in  health,  my  brother?"  (or,  " Peace  be  with  thee,  my 
brother,7')  thrust  with  his  left  hand  the  sword  into  his  body. 
(2  Sam.  xx.  10.)  His  heart  was  filled  with  untameable  venom, 
the  poison  of  envy  and  ambition,  which  neither  severity  nor  leni- 
ency could  conquer.  Serpents  may  be  charmed  by  the  sound  of 
music  so  that  they  do  not  emit  their  poison — not  so  these  children 
of  wrath.  David  had  resisted  the  temptation  of  Joab  to  fill  him 
with  suspicion  against  his  faithful  subject,  and  he  had  no  doubt 
expressed  himself  in  the  language  of  confidence  and  gentleness. 
(2  Sam.  iii.  24,  25.)  The  poisonous  adder  could  not  be  charmed 
— his  perilous  bite  was  done  the  more  secretly. 

F.  7 — 10.  The  sovereign  feels  himself  too  weak  to  use  the  arm 
of  justice  against  these  powerful  men.  He  therefore  calls  upon 
the  Lord  to  do  justice,  to  destroy  the  success  of  their  schemes  con- 
trived by  cunning  and  violence,  to  break  their  destructive  strength 
as  one  deprives  wild  beasts  of  their  teeth,  as  water  dissolves,  as  if 
one  breaks  the  point  of  the  spear,  as  a  creeping  snail  melts,  as  an 
abortion  dissolves  in  the  womb,  as  the  tempests  of  the  desert  tears 
away  the  half-burnt  thorns  ere  the  pots  can  feel  their  flame. 

V.  11,  12.  It  is  the  comfort  of  kings,  that  if  they  are  too  weak 
for  the  ^administration  of  justice,  there  is  a  King  above  whose 
hands  are  never  tied.  The  King  of  kings  gives  these  signs  to  show 
that  though  much  power  is  conferred  upon  mortals,  no  one  can 
deprive  him  of  his  sceptre. 


PSALM  LIX. 

A  PSALM  of  David  composed  when  Saul  had  first  cast  the  javelin 
at  him,  and  then  after  his  escape  caused  his  house  to  be  watched 
at  night  that  he  might  seize  and  kill  him  on  the  morrow.  But 
Michal,  his  wife,  had  secretly  let  him  go  out  at  an  unguarded  place, 
and  he  fled  at  night  to  the  neighbouring  Raman,*  to  Samuel  and 

*  Now  Soba,  according  to  Robinson's  Palestine,  vol.  ii.  p.  581,  etc.,  at  a 
distance  of  about  ten  miles  from  Jerusalem.  (Cf.  Introduction,  page  24, 
note  J.) 


PSALM  LIX.  259 

his  school  of  prophets,  (1  Sam.  xix.  18,)  where  this  psalm  was 
probably  composed.  We  may  perceive  to  how  great  an  extent  the 
Spirit  of  God  reigned  in  that  circle,  from  the  fact  that  the  three 
separate  companies  whom  Saul  sent  out  to  seize  David  felt  the 
Spirit  of  G-od  come  upon  them,  and  they  began  to  prophesy,  as  in 
fact  even  Saul  on  coming  was  overwhelmed  by  the  strength  of  the 
Spirit.  (1  Sam.  xix.  20,  etc.}. 

the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune,  "Destroy  not/'  A 
golden  psalm  of  David,  when  Saul  sent,  and  they 
watched  the  house  to  kill  him. 

2  Deliver  me  from  mine  enemies,  0  my  God : 
Defend  me  from  them  that  rise  up  against  me. 

3  Deliver  me  from  the  workers  of  iniquity, 
And  save  me  from  bloody  men. 

4  For,  lo,  they  lie  in  wait  for  my  soul : 
The  mighty  are  gathered  against  me ; 

Not  for  my  transgression,  nor  for  my  sin,  0  LORD. 

5  They  run  and  prepare  themselves  without  my  fault: 
Awake  to  meet  me,  and  behold. 

G^Thou  therefore,  0  LORD  God  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel, 
Awake  to  visit  all  the  heathen: 
Be  not  merciful  to  any  wicked  transgressors.     Selah. 

7  Let  them  return  at  evening: 
And  make  a  noise  like  a  dog, 
And  go  round  about  the  city. 

8  Behold,  they  belch  with  their  mouth : 
Swords  are  in  their  lips : 

For  who,  say  they,  doth  hear? 

9  But  thou,  0  LORD,  shalt  laugh  at  them; 
Thou  shalt  have  all  the  heathen  in  derision. 

10  0,  my  strength,  I  will  wait  upon  thee:* 
For  God  is  my  defence. 

11  God  shall  prevent  me  by  his  mercy : 

God  shall  let  me  see  my  desire  upon  mine  enemies. 

12  Slay  them  not  (suddenly)  lest  my  people  forget: 
Scatter  them  by  thy  power ; 

And  bring  them  down,  0  LORD  our  shield. 

13  For  the  sin  of  their  mouth  and  the  words  of  their  lips 
Let  them  even  be  taken  in  their  pride : 

And  for  cursing  and  lying  which  they  speak. 

*  Fourteen  MSS.  and  all  the  ancient  versions  read  *i.ts>  instead  of  fay. 

-  \  \ 


260  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

14  Consume  them  in  wrath,  consume  them,  that  they  may 

not  be: 

And  let  them  know  that  God  ruleth  in  Jacob 
Unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.     Selah* 

15  And  at  evening  let  them  return; 
And  let  them  make  a  noise  like  a  dog, 
And  go  round  about  the  city. 

16  Let  them  wander  up  and  down  for  meat, 

Though  they  be  not  satisfied,  and  will  stay  all  night. 

17  But  I  will  sing  of  thy  power ; 

Yea,  I  will  sing  aloud  of  thy  mercy  in  the  morning : 
For  thou  hast  been  my  defence  and  refuge  in  the  day  of 
my  trouble. 

18  Unto  thee,  0  my  strength,  will  I  sing : 

For  God  is  my  defence,  and  the  God  of  my  mercy. 

V.  2,  3.  Though  having  effected  his  escape,  David  still  prays 
for  deliverance  from  Saul  and  his  people,  for  their  wrath  was  still 
alive,  and  they  soon  came  to  Ramah  to  seize  him :  the  messengers 
are  three  times  in  succession  overcome  by  the  Spirit — at  last  the 
king  himself.  The  character  of  the  servants  of  Saul,  who,  devoid 
of  love  and  truthfulness,  were  not  better  than  their  master,  may  be 
inferred  from  their  becoming  the  abettors  of  malice,  and  not  having 
the  courage  of  Jonathan  to  take  the  part  of  innocence.  Doeg  was 
amongst  their  number. 

V.  4,  5.  If  we  have  to  deal  with  such  people,  innocence  is  a 
great  comfort,  for  he  who  is  conscious  of  his  innocence  knows  indubi- 
tably that  God  is  his  ally  and  may  courageously  invoke  his  aid  like 
David,  "Awake  to  meet  me,  0  Lord,  and  behold/' 

V.  6.  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  the  world  send  help?  David 
feels  here  as  we  do  when  judgment  is  delayed  in  time :  we  then 
long  for  the  last  judgment,  that  all  iniquity  may  for  ever  cease. 
In  a  similar  manner  he  prayed  elsewhere  (Psalm  vii.  8.  10)  for  the 
last  judgment,  and  consoled  himself  by  it  to  attain  to  a  more  perfect 
assurance  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God  in  his  own  case.  At 
the  judgment  of  the  heathen,  the  judgment  of  heathenish-minded 
Israel  will  not  fail  to  take  place,  (Psalm  Ixxv.  9 ;  cf.  also  Psalm 
Ixxxii.  8,)  for  God  is  good  to  that  Israel  only  that  are  of  a  clean 
heart.  (Psalm  Ixxiii.  1.) 

V.  7.  His  imagination  depicts  them  as  already  standing  and 
waiting  with  open  mouths  for  prey,  but  they  have  to  stand  and 
wait  from  morning  till  evening,  and  roam  like  hungry  dogs  round 
about  and  through  the  city. 

V.  8,  9.  The  servants  were  like  the  suspicious  king,  and  had 
indeed  excited  his  suspicions.  ( Vide  Introd.  ad.  Ps.  Ixix.)  How 


PSALM  LX.  261 

many  lies  and  calumnies  may  they  not  have  concocted  while  they 
stood  on  the  watch !  But  God,  who  will  hold  the  proud  heathen 
in  derision,  will  equally  laugh  at  them.  Though  the  heavens  are 
high  above  the  earth,  his  ear  yet  reacheth  to  the  earth;  and 
whether  mischief  be  talked  of  aloud  or  low,  nothing  escapes  his 
ear. 

F.  10,  11.  Deprived  of  personal  strength,  he  looks  to  that 
defence  which  constitutes  his  strength.  He  who  who  makes  but 
one  step  to  meet  God  is  met  by  his  mercy  for  thousands  of  miles. 

F".  12.  The  benefits  which  God  now  and  then  confers  upon  one 
and  another  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  by  us :  we  should  always 
remember  the  arm  which  reached  out  of  the  clouds  in  the  hour  of 
danger.  But  as  even  the  pious  are  prone  to  forget  nothing  more 
quickly  than  this  very  thing,  David  prays  God  not  suddenly  to  con- 
sume them,  but  only  to  scatter  and  humiliate  them,  that  they  may 
for  ever  remember  that  the  Lord  did  bow  them  down,  and  that  he 
is  the  shield  of  his  people.  By  "my  people"  David  probably 
means  the  generation  of  the  righteous,  which  is  called  the  people 
of  God,  (cf.  ad.  Ps.  iii.  9;  Ps.  xiv.  4,)  thinking  of  the  sincere 
Israelites  with  whom  he  was  then  staying,  viz.  Samuel  and  the  sons 
of  the  prophets.  He  felt  himself  in  fellowship  with  them  by  say- 
ing, "0  Lord,  our  shield/'  (Psalm  Ixxii.  10.) 

V.  13 — 15.  He  considers  once  more  their  impiousness,  for  the 
purpose  of  strengthening  his  conviction  that  the  punishment  of 
God,  though  delayed,  will  assuredly  be  revealed  to  them,  for  the 
government  of  God  is  preeminently  manifest  to  Jacob  after  the 
spirit.  (Ps.  xxiv.  6.)  The  sin  of  their  mouth,  the  curses  by  which 
they  persecute  the  innocent,  their  pride  before  God  and  man,  shall 
become  the  net  in  which,  like  so  many  before  them,  they  shall  be 
caught.  Their  present  punishment  shall  be  this:  they  shall  roam 
about  greedy  of  prey,  but  find  none,  and  shall  in  the  evening  behold 
that  the  spoil  has  escaped  them. 

V.  16 — 18.  They  had  to  wander  about  when  evening  came, 
having  lost  the  prey,  and  hungry  wake  through  the  night;  while 
David,  like  a  bird  which  has  escaped  the  snare  of  the  fowler, 
attunes  in  the  morning  his  song  of  praise  to  Him  who  in  the  day  of 
need  is  the  refuge  of  his  people. 


PSALM  LX. 

A  SONG  of  complaint  and  cry  for  help  when^  while  David  was 
engaged  in  the  north  of  his  kingdom  against  the  Syrians  of  Zobah 
and  their  allies  from  Mesopotamia,  (2  Sam.'  x.  16,)  the  Edomites 


262  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

had  invaded  the  south,  and  he  was  obliged  to  send  Joab  and 
Abishai*  his  brother  with  an  army  to  meet  them,  who  turned  them 
back  (2  Sam.  viii.  13;  1  Chron.  xviii.)  in  the  valley  of  Salt,f 
where  the  boundaries  of  Edom  and  Palestine  met.  There  were 
probably  only  few  troops  in  the  kingdom,  and  they  had  been  beat, 
(v.  12.)  It  was  this  critical  juncture  which  determined  David  to 
send  back  his  generals  with  so  large  a  portion  of  his  army.  Two 
short  days'  marches  would  suffice  to  bring  the  Edomites  to  Hebron, 
and  seven  hours  from  Hebron  to  Jerusalem.  The  king  had  there- 
fore good  grounds  for  complaining  that  the  country  was  trembling. 
The  foe  had  probably  made  further  advances  into  the  country, 
and  only  on  Joab's  approach  retired  from  the  mountains  and 
ravines  on  the  way  to  Hebron  to  the  valley  of  Salt,  where  at  a  later 
period  Amaziah  routed  the  Edomites.  (2  Kings  xiv.  7.) 

1.2 npO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune,  "The  lily  of  the 
JL  testimony,"  A  golden  psalm  of  David  to  be  learnt 
by  heart :  when  he  strove  with  Mesopotamia  and 
the  Syrians  of  Zobah,  when  Joab  returned  and 
smote  of  Edom  in  the  valley  of  Salt  twelve 
thousand. 

3  0  God  thou  hast  cast  us  off,  thou  hast  scattered  us, 
Thou  hast  been  displeased;  0  turn  thyself  to  us  again. 

4  Thou  hast   made   the  country  to   tremble;    thou  hast 

broken  it : 
Heal  the  breaches  thereof;  for  it  shaketh. 

5  Thou  hast  showed  thy  people  hard  things : 

Thou  hast  made  us  to  drink  of  the  wine  of  astonishment. 

6  Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  feared  thee, 
To  which  they  may  flee  because  of  the  truth.     Selah. 

7  That  thy  beloved  may  be  delivered; 

Save  with  thy  right  hand,  and  hear  me  (or,  "hear  us".) 

8  God  hath  spoken  in  his  holiness 

I  will  rejoice  thereat,  "I  will  divide  Schechem, 
And  mete  out  the  valley  of  Succoth. 

9  Gilead  is  mine,  and  Manasseh  is  mine : 
Ephraim  also  is  the  shield  of  mine  head ; 
Judah  is  my  sceptre ;  and 

*  Abishai,  who  is  described  as  a  general  (1  Chron.  xviii.)  may  at" that 
time  (as  2  Sam.  x.  10)  have  commanded  a  portion  under  Joab.  But 
(2  Sam.  viii.  13)  the  king  himself  is  described  as  victor. 

f  This  valley  is  at  the  southern  point  of  the  Dead  Sea,  at  the  side  of  a 
remarkable  mountain  side  of  mineral  salt,  which  at  some  places  is  as  high 
as  150  feet.  (Eobinson's  Palestine,  vol.  iii.  1,  p.  23.) 


PSALM   LX.  263 

10  Moab  is  my  washpot ; 

Over  Edom  will  I  cast  out  my  shoe ; 
Philistia,  triumph  thou  because  of  me."* 

11  Who  will  bring  me  into  the  strong  city  ? 
Who  will  lead  me  into  Edom  ? 

12  Wilt  not  thou,  0  God,  which  hadst  cast  us  off  ? 

And  tJioUj  0  God,  which  didst  not  go  out  with  our  armies  ? 

13  Give  us  help  from  trouble : 
For  vain  is  the  help  of  man. 

14  Through  God  we  shall  do  valiantly : 

For  he  it  is  that  shall  tread  down  our  enemies. 

V.  3 — 5.  The  course  of  life  alternates  between  the  heights  and 
the  depths.  Such  was  the  experience  of  David.  At  the  pinnacle 
of  triumph,  enlarging  the  boundaries  of  his  country,  the  mournful 
tidings  suddenly  came  upon  him.  He  describes  the  country  as  a 
wall  which  has  been  shaken  and  rent,  and  the  consternation  of  the 
people  as  if  they  were  drunk  with  intoxicating  wine  and  had  almost 
lost  their  senses. 

V.  6,  7.  There  is  a  banner,  however,  to  which  those  who  fear 
the  Lord  may  fly.  Such  are  the  gracious  promises  of  God,  which 
he  will  not  dishonour,  but  fulfil  because  of  his  mercy  and  truth. 
(Rom.  xv.  8.)  David  doubts  not  for  a  moment  that  although 
called  to  endure  great  affliction  they  continue  to  abide  in  the  love 
of  God.  That  may  have  been  a  difficult  thing  to  them  of  old — but 
it  is  an  easy  thing  to  those  in  the  Gospel  dispensation,  who  have 
the  words  of  reconciliation  in  their  hearts. 

V.  8 — 10.  The  prophetic  words  of  Samuel,  Gad,  and  Nathan, 
had  often  declared  the  kindly  designs  of  God  respecting  David, 
and  their  words  were  diffused  among  all  the  people :  e.  g.  Abner 
refers  to  them  before  the  whole  nation.  (2  Sam.  iii.  18.)  David 
comforts  himself  now  with  such  a  Divine  message  by  the  mouth  of 
a  prophet — he  rejoices  in  tribulation.  The  meaning  of  that  utter- 
ance is  this :  God,  who  has  created  all  nations,  the  earth  and  every- 
thing in  it,  has  the  power  to  distribute,  as  he  pleases,  the  countries 
of  Israel  as  well  as  the  countries  of  surrounding  peoples.  This 
oracle  mentions,  first,  two  then  flourishing  cities,  Succoth,  in  the 
valley  of  Jordan  in  the  East,  and  Schecheni  opposite  to  it  in  the 
West,  then  two  of  the  most  flourishing  provinces  in  the  east  of 
Jordan;  rich  Gilead,  and  the  mighty  tribe  of  Manasseh,  to  the 
west  of  Jordan,  the  two  most  powerful  tribes;  Ephraim,  the  pro- 
tecting helmet  of  the  kingdom  by  its  rich  population,  (Gen.  xlviii. 
19;  Deut.  xxxiii.  17;)  and  Judah,  of  whom  Jacob's  prophecy  was 
said,  "The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver 

*  Or  paraphrased,  "Philistia,  shout  to  me,  the  Conqueror." 


264  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come/'  (Gen.  xlix.  10.)  They 
are  the  Lord's.  But  also  the  countries  of  enemies  shall  serve — Moab 
in  the  East,  Edom  in  the  South,  and  Philistia  in  the  West  (the 
North  is  not  mentioned,  because  the  banner  of  David  had  already 
been  victorious  there.)  As  after  the  labours  of  the  day  the  hero 
takes  the  washpot  and  throws  off  his  shoes — so  Moab  becomes  his 
washpot,  and  over  Edom  he  casts  his  shoe — which  in  ancient  times, 
in  India  as  well  as  in  Abyssinia  and  Palestine,  was  the  symbol  of 
conquest.  (Ruth  iv.  7.)  Philistia  also  shall  render  homage  to 
Him.  Such  was  the  burden  of  the  prophecy.- 

F.  11,  12.  This  is  the  banner  to  which  David  flies.  Contem- 
plating it,  we  may  confidently  hope  that  the  same  God  who  did 
abase  can  also  raise  him.  His  hand  shall  lead  him  even  to  Petra, 
(i.  e.  rock,  2  Kings  xiv.  7,)  which  seems  unapproachable  by  human 
strength.  That  marvellous  rock-city  of  the  Edomites  is  surrounded 
by  rocks,  some  of  which  are  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  a  single 
path  twelve  feet  in  width  "leads  to  it.  The  city  itself  is  partly  hewn 
out  of  the  cloven  rocks,  and  its  ruins,  which,  however,  belong  to  a 
later  period,  fill  travellers  with  amazement.  Obadiah,  prophesying 
against  Edom,  has  mentioned  that  rocky  stronghold.  "The  pride 
of  thine  heart  hath  deceived  thee,  thou  that  dwellest  in  the  clefts 
of  the  rock,  whose  habitation  is  high ;  that  saith  in  his  heart,  Who 
shall  bring  me  down  to  the  ground?  Though  thou  exalt  thyself 
as  the  eagle,  and  though  thou  set  thy  nest  among  the  stars,  thence 
will  I  bring  thee  down,  saith  the  Lord/'  (Obad.  v.  3,  4.)  He  who 
like  David  appropriates  the  Divine  promise,  is  not  dismayed  at  even 
such  a  rocky  stronghold.  At  the  eve  of  his  life  the  old  hero-king 
used  to  sing  at  the  remembrance  of  conquests  like  the  present, 
"By  thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop,  and  by  my  God  have  I  leaped 
over  a  wall."  (Ps.  xviii.  30.) 

F.  13,  14.  Who  is  more  proud  of  the  arm  of  flesh  than  a  hero 
in  the  sense  of  his  own  strength?  Not  so  David.  He  has  just 
now  experienced  once  more  that  it  is  God  who  is  able  to  exalt  and 
to  abase  him,  and  he  therefore  loudly  declares  that  the  help  of  man 
is  vain,  and  that  the  victories  of  heroes  are  gained  through  God 
alone. 


PSALM   LXI.  265 

PSALM  LXI. 

% 

A  PSALM  of  David,  sung  at  Mahanain,  beyond  Jordan  on  the 
borders  of  Palestine,  when  he  fled  from  before  Absalom.  (Cf.  ad. 
Psalm  iii.  42.) 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  on  the  harp  of  David. 


2  Hear  my  cry,  0  God  ; 
Attend  unto  my  prayer. 

3  From  the  end  of  the  earth  will  I  cry  unto  thee,  when  my 

heart  is  overwhelmed  : 
Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  I. 

4  For  thou  hast  been  a  shelter  for  me, 
And  a  strong  tower  from  the  enemy. 

5  I  will  abide  in  thy  tabernacle  for  ever  : 

I  will  make  my  refuge  in  the  covert'  of  thy  wings.    Selah. 

6  For  thou,  0  God,  hast  heard  my  vows  : 

Thou  hast  given  me  the  heritage  of  those  that  fear  thy  name. 

7  Thou  wilt  prolong  the  king's  life  : 
And  his  years  as  many  generations. 

8  He  shall  abide  before  God  for  ever  : 

0  prepare  (or,  "  show  unto  him*')  mercy  and  truth,  which 
may  preserve  him. 

9  So  will  I  sing  praise  unto  thy  name  for  ever, 
That  I  may  daily  perform  my  vows. 

V.  2  —  5.  David  seems  to  have  sung  this  psalm  in  an  hour  when 
his  soul  was  more  composed  :  it  contains  much  trust  and  assurance 
that  he  should  reascend  his  throne.  Remote  from  the  sanctuary, 
he  feels  himself  prompted  from  afar  to  call  upon  his  God.  He 
regards  his  fear  as  great  waves,  and  his  trust  in  God  like  a  lofty 
rock  rising  above  them;  he  regards  his  enemies  as  if  assailing  him, 
and  his  God  as  a  tower  which  he  can  enter  and  abide  there  in 
security.  He  has  so  frequently  enjoyed  happiness  in  the  taberna- 
cle of  God  that  there  he  shelters  himself,  feeling  as  safe  as  a  chicken 
under  the  wing  of  the  hen.  (Psalm  xxvii.  5;  xxxi.  21.) 

V.  6  —  9.  The  heritage  (i.  e.  reward,  Job  xxxi.  2;  cf.  Wisd. 
v.  5;  Gal.  iii.  18,)  of  those  that  fear  the  Lord  is  his  rich  mercy, 
and  if  that  is  rich  to  all  who  call  upon  him,  how  much  more  so  to 
a  king  whose  cause  is  a  just  one.  Fall  of  this  confidence,  David 
calls  upon  his  God,  he  himself  reminding  him  of  his  royal  dignity. 
(Psalm  xviii.  51;  xxi.  2;  xxviii.  8,  9;  Ixiii.  12.)  The  glorious 
promise  which  he  received  by  Nathan,  the  prophet,  arises  before 
his  soul,  "  And  thine  house  and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  established 
for  ever  before  thee:  thy  throne  shall  be  established  for  ever." 
23 


266  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

(2  Sam.  vii.  16.)  This  promise  and  the  hope  that  he  and  his  off- 
spring shall  for  ever  occupy  the  throne  before  the  face  of  the  Lord 
yields  him  comfort,  while  he  regards  the  faithfulness  and  love  of 
God  as  the  defences  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  of  his  throne.  He 
promises  nevermore  to  forget  that  he  owes  these  blessings  neither 
to  his  own  sagacity  and  valour  nor  to  blind  fate,  but  that  he  will 
for  ever  sing  praises  to  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  that  his  whole 
life  shall  be  the  payment  of  the  vows  which  he  made  in  the  hour 
of  need. 


PSALM  LXIL 

A  PSALM  of  calm  trust  and  exhortation,  which  David  composed 
when  he  resided  at  the  court  of  Saul,  and  calumniating  tongues 
accused  him  of  secret  conspiracy,  thereby  seeking  to  rob  him  of 
the  king's  confidence,  and  to  cast  him  down  from  his  elevated 
position. 

1  HpO  the  chief  Musician  of  the  choir  of  Jeduthun,  A 
J_        Psalm  of  David. 

2  Truly  my  soul  is  silent  to  God: 
From  him  cometh  my  salvation. 

3  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation ; 

He  is  my  defence :  I  shall  not  be  greatly  moved. 

4  How  long  will  ye  press  upon  a  man, 
And  seek  to  destroy  him  all  of  you : 

As  a  bowing  wall  and  as  a  tottering  fence  ? 

5  They  only  consult  to  cast  him  down  from  his  excellency: 
They  delight  in  lies : 

They  bless  with  their  mouth,  but  they  curse  inwardly. 
Selah. 

6  My  soul,  be  thou  silent  only  to  God; 
For  my  hope  is  from  him. 

7  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation : 
He  is  my  defence ;  I  shall  not  be  moved. 

8  With  God  is  my  salvation  and  my  glory: 

The  rock  of  my  strength,  and  my  refuge,  is  in  God. 

9  Trust  in  him  at  all  times,  ye  people, 
Pour  out  your  heart  before  him : 
God  is  a  refuge  for  us.     Selah. 

10  Surely  men  of  low  degree  are  nothing, 
And  men  of  high  degree  are  a  lie : 
To  be  laid  in  the  balance, 
They  are  altogether  lighter  than  nothing. 


PSALM  LXIII.  267 

11  Trust  not  in  wrong, 

And  become  not  vain  in  robbery: 

If  riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon  them. 

12  God  hath  spoken  once : 
Twice  have  I  heard  this ; 

THAT  POWER  BELONGETH  UNTO  GOD. 

13  Also  unto  thee,  0  Lord,  belongeth  mercy: 

For  thou  renderest  to  every  man  according  to  his  work. 

V.  2 — 5.  On  fathoming  in  the  process  of  self-examination  the 
very  foundations  of  our  soul,  we  sometimes  comfort  ourselves  as  it 
were  with  the  words,  There  is  still  a  little  spark  of  faith  and  trust 
left.  So  David  solaces  and  strengthens  himself  with  the  words, 
My  soul  is  quietly  resigned  to  God  and  waits  for  his  aid.  1  know 
of  no  other  help— and  though  perchance  I  stumble — I  shall  never 
fall.  I  am  already  crushed  like  a  tottering  wall,  but  however  much 
you  may  press  upon  me,  I  shall  never  fall.  He  intimates  to  them, 
that  though  their  assaults  are  not  done  openly,  he  is  right  well 
aware  of  their  secret  efforts  to  undermine  his  safety. 

V.  6 — 9.  He  once  more  descends  to  the  foundation  of  his  soul. 
Calmness  has  already  ensued,  yet  he  seeks  to  attain  a  still  greater 
peace.  How  great  is  the  happiness  of  this  inward  calm.  What 
others  se'ek  in  the  creature  he  seeks  in  the  Almighty.  His  salva- 
tion, glory,  strength,  and  refuge  are  all  in  God,  who  gives  to  crea- 
tion whatever  happiness,  glory,  strength,  and  refuge  it  can  yield  to 
mortals.  How  great  is  his  happiness  in  that  calm  of  his  soul !  He 
invites  all  to  pour  out  their  heart  before  the  Eternal  One  that  they 
may  enjoy  the  same  peace. 

V.  10 — 13.  Our  estimate  of  man  depends  upon  our  estimate 
of  God.  David  knows  that  men  of  low  and  high  degree,  if  sepa- 
rated from  the  primal  fount  of  every  good,  weigh  nothing,  and  are 
less  than  nothing.  Riches  are  nothing,  especially  ill-gotten  ones. 
Man  is  not  to  get  proud  when  riches  increase.  But  such  is  the 
course  of  things,  that  in  proportion  as  the  gifts  of  God  are  rich, 
men  confide  more  in  the  gifts  than  in  the  rich  giver.  But  holy 
David  is  better  instructed.  Once  and  again  he  has  heard  the 
Divine  voice  in  his  soul,  that  power  belongeth  unto  God  only,  (Job 
xxxiii.  14;  cf.  Psalm  xl.  5".)  This  powerful  God  is  merciful :  can 
then  any  merit  attach  to  our  poor  works?  and  yet  the  Lord  render- 
eth  to  every  pious  man  according  to  his  imperfect  pious  work. 


PSALM  LXIII. 

A  PSALM  of  David  composed  on  his  flight  before  Absalom,  after 
he  had  left  Jerusalem,  and  having  reached  the. desert  banks  of 


268  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Jordan,  was  waiting  for  further  news  from  the  city.  (2  Sam.  xv. 
23.  28;  xvi.  2;  xvii.  16.  29.)  The  place  is  a  profound  wilder- 
ness. The  wilderness  of  Judah,  along  the  entire  western  shore  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  had  been  David's  refuge  for  years,  when  Saul  pur- 
sued him.  Once  adorned  with  the  diadem,  he  may  have  little 
thought  that  he  should  have  to  revisit  that  desert.  But  as  a  fugi- 
tive king,  he  was  obliged  to  seek  it  once  more.  The  wilderness  of 
Judah  extends  to  Jordan  above  the  Dead  Sea,  where  the  territories 
of  Judan  and  Benjamin  meet,  (cf.  Josh,  xviii.  22,  with  xv.  61)* — 
it  is  a  waste  without  any  supply  of  water.  In  that  neighbourhood 
there  remains  an  easy  ford  to  the  present  day,  and  probably  David 
and  his  people  crossed  the  river  there.  Gilgal  was  situate  in  that 
region,  and  this  is  the  place  where  David  on  his  return  from  Maha- 
naiin  crossed  Jordan.  (2  Sam.  xix.  15.) 

1  A    PSALM  of  David,  when  he  was  in  the  wilderness  of 
XL        Judah. 

2  0  God,  thou  art  my  God ;  early  will  I  seek  thee : 
My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee 
In  a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is ; 

3  To  see  thy  power  and  thy  glory, 

So  as  I  have  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary. 

4  Because  thy  lovingkindness  is  better  than  life, 
My  lips  shall  praise  thee. 

5  Thus  will  I  bless  thee  while  I  live : 
I  will  lift  up  my  hands  in  thy  name. 

6  My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as  with  marrow  and  fatness ; 
And  my  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips: 

7  When  I  remember  thee  upon  my  bed 

I  meditate  on  thee  in  the  night  watches. 

8  Because  thou  hast  been  my  help, 

Therefore  in  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  rejoice. 

9  My  soul  cleaveth  to  thee : 
Thy  right  hand  upholdeth  me. 

10  But  those  that  seek  my  soul  to  destroy  it, 
Shall  go  into  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth. 

11  They  shall  fall  by  the  sword : 
They  shall  be  a  portion  for  jackals. 

12  But  the  king  shall  rejoice  in  God; 

Every  one  that  sweareth  by  him  shall  glory: 

But  the  mouth  of  them  that  speak  lies  shall  be  stopped. 

*  There  were  no  signs  of  vegetation  either  along  the  upper  coast  or  in 
the  valley,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  strip  of  reeds  and  rushes  below, 
along  either  side  of  the  basin,  here  and  there  dotted  with  tamarisks  and  a 
species  of  the  Arabian  willow.  (Robinson's  Palestine,  vol.  ii.  p.  495.) 


PSALM   LXIII.  269 

F.  2.  He  begins  as  every  prayer  that  is  to  be  heard  ought  to 
begin ;  the  power  of  prayer  consists  in  the  knowledge  that  God  is 
our  God.  The  body  suffers  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land;  his  friends 
indeed  had  to  furnish  him  with  refreshments  for  the  period  of  his 
abode  in  the  desert.  (2  Sam.  xvi.  2.)  But  the  king's  soul  thirsts 
more  for  God  than  bodily  refreshments.  His  very  flesh  longs  for 
him.  Is  it  not  known  to  every  prayerful  man,  that  when  God 
refreshes  the  soul,  he  also  refreshes  the  body  ? 

F.  3 — 5.  Here  is  the  reason  of  his  longing  for  God.  He 
remembers  the  delightful  experience  of  his  power  and  glory  in  the 
sanctuary.  "  Thus  have  I  seen  thee,"  i.  e.  so  desirable,  so  refresh- 
ing to  body  and  soul.  We  know  from  other  psalms,  that  David 
felt  most  at  home  with  God  in  the  house  of  God.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm 
xxvii.)  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  informs  us  that  on  leaving  Jerusalem,  the 
hope  of  seeing  again  the  tabernacle  and  the  house  of  God  formed 
the  pinnacle  of  David's  desires.  As  life  is  valueless  without  the 
taste  of  Divine  mercy,  David  glories  that  his  lovingkiudness  is  better 
than  life,  and  because  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh,  therefore  his  lips  shall  praise  him.  He  has  known  him 
as  so  desirable  to  be  possessed,  that  he  promises  to  make  his  praise 
the  business  of  his  life.  Praying,  he  lifts  up  his  hands  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  i.  e.  with  his  heart  and  mind  fixed  on  him. 

F.  6,  7.  How  happy  may  the  heart  of  man  become  through 
God !  There  was  no  other  ground  for  the  praise  of  David.  The 
crown  torn  from  off  his  brow — his  own  son  a  rebel — a  gloomy  pre- 
sent and  an  uncertain  future  stood  before  his  soul — round  about 
him  the  desert;  but  his  heart  is  so  satisfied  that  his  mouth  must 
break  forth  in  songs  of  praise.  Such  is  his  employment  in  day-time, 
and  at  night,  when  the  mouth  must  be  silent,  his  heart  continues 
the  praise.  He  thinks  not  to  go  again  asleep,  but  continues  in 
meditation  during  the  night  watches — there  are  three  of  them — as 
soon  as  the  thought  of  God  has  once  entered  his  soul. 

F.  8,  9.  Hope  in  his  present  tribulation  causes  him  unceasingly 
to  think  of  God.  As  a  bird,  sheltered  in  the  rich  foliage  from  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  sings  its  merry  notes,  so  he  celebrates  his  songs  of 
praise  from  the  shadow  of  the  wings  of  God.  He  feels  as  if  the 
eternal  God  were  visibly  present,  upholding  him  with  his  right 
hand,  therefore  his  soul  cleaves  to  him. 

F.  10,  11.  They  who  seek  to  destroy  his  life  shall  meet  with 
the  fate  they  have  planned  for  him.  The  sword  shall  consume 
them  in  the  war  which  was  about  to  begin — their  bodies  shall 
remain  unburied,  the  prey  of  jackals  which  feed  on  corpses.  And 
this  came  literally  to  pass.  For  in  the  battle,  in  the  forest  of 
Ephraim,  one  portion  of  the  people  were  consumed  by  the  sword, 
and  another  perished  in  the  wooded  rocks  and  abysses.  (2  Sam. 
xviii.  8.) 

F.  12.    The  mouth  of  the  faithless  rebels  is  now  filled  with  deceit 
23* 


270  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

i 

and  lies,  but  it  shall  be  stopped — the  king  shall  yet  rejoice  in  his 
God — commend  and  praise  those  faithful  subjects,  who  will  swear 
by  no  other  name  than  that  of  their  lawful  sovereign.  (Cf.  Gen. 
xlii.  15.)  "  The  Lord  reigneth  1" 


PSALM  LXIV. 

A  SONG  of  complaint  of  David,  when  he  was  at  the  court  of  Saul, 
and  calumniating  and  lying  tongues  sought  his  downfall. 


1  rn 


0  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


2  Hear  my  voice,  0  God,  in  my  prayer : 
Preserve  my  life  from  fear  of  the  enemy. 

3  Hide  me  from  the  secret  counsel  of  the  wicked : 
From  the  throng  of  the  workers  of  iniquity, 

4  Who  whet  their  tongue  like  a  sword, 

And  bend  their  bows  to  shoot  their  arrows,  even  bitter 
words : 

5  That  they  may  shoot  in  secret  at  the  godly : 
Suddenly  do  they  shoot  at  him  and  fear  not. 

6  They  encourage  themselves  in  an  evil  matter: 
They  commune  of  laying  snares  privily ; 
They  say,  "  Who  shall  see  them?" 

7  They  search  out  iniquities; 

"  We  are  ready  with  diligent  cunning." 
Both  the  inward  thought  of  every  one  of  them,  and  the 
heart,  is  deep. 

8  But  God  shall  shoot  at  them  with  an  arrow; 
Suddenly  shall  they  be  wounded. 

9  So  they 'shall  make  their  own  tongue  to  fall  upon  them- 

selves : 
All  that  see  them  shall  laugh  at  them. 

10  And  all  men  shall  fear,  and  shall  declare  the  work  of  God ; 
For  they  shall  wisely  consider  of  his  doing. 

11  The  righteous  shall  be  glad  in  the  LORD  and  shall  trust 

in  him ; 
And  all  the  upright  in  heart  shall  glory. 

V.  2 — 5.     There  is  no  reference  here  to  his  mortal  enemies,  as 
is  the  case  in  those  psalms  which  were  composed  during  his  flight; 


PSALM  LXV.  271 

for  some  considerable  time  elapsed  before  the  king  dared  to  aim  at 
bis   life.     He  simply  speaks  of  such  calumniators  as  laid  their . 
snares  in  secret,  could  not  bear  his  piety;  and  envied  him  of  the 
royal  confidence. 

V.  6,  7.  The  honest  and  straightforward  youth  is  surprised  at 
the  artifice  with  which  they  set  their  evil  engines  to  work,  for  an 
honest  man  pursues  a  straight  course.  "The  children  of  this  world 
are  wiser  than  the  children  of  light."  An  honest-minded  man 
gets  acquainted  with  the  shallows  of  the  heart  by  perceiving  them 
in  others.  With  the  expression  of  the  Psalmist  accord  the  words 
of  the  prophet,  "  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  des- 
perately wicked:  who  can  know  it?"  (Jer.  xvii. 9.) 

F.  8,  9.  The  wisdom  of  God  exceeds  the  utmost  cunning  of 
men ;  he  changeth  their  wisdom  into  folly,  and  overturneth  their 
measure  when  it  is  filled. 

F  10,  11.  God  does  not  exercise  his  judgments  for  the  grati- 
fication of  our  passions  or  revenge,  but  with  the  sublime  and  holy 
design  to  instruct  us  that  his  hand  pierces  the  doings  of  man,  and 
that  the  works  of  men,  even  of  the  ungodly,  must  serve  him  as 
instruments  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  own  purposes ;  that  the 
righteous  may  ever  rejoice  in  heart  for  being  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  such  a  Lord ;  and  lastly,  that  the  community  of  believers 
should  render  to  him  the  praises  which  he  is  worthy  to  receive. 
We  must,  therefore,  be  on  our  guard,  lest  in  rejoicing  at  the  down- 
fall of  the  ungodly  by  the  hand  of  God,  we  dim  the  sacred  flame 
by  unholy  feelings. 


PSALM  LXV. 

A  SONG  of  praise  composed  in  the  spring,  when  the  Lord  had 
richly  blessed  the  land,  the  pastures  were  beginning  to  be  clothed 
with  flocks,  and  the  hills  and  valleys  covered  with  corn.  It  was 
probably  sung  at  the  passover,  for  a  sheaf  of  the  first  fruits  used  to 
be  offered  on  the  second  day  of  the  passover,  after  which  harvest 
commenced.  Verses  2 — 9  are  the  preparation  for  the  theme  of  the 
psalm;  the  grace  of  prayer  (v.  2,  3,)  is  followed  by  the  confession 
of  sins  (v.  4,)  the  expression  of  gratitude  for  spiritual  delights  in 
the  sanctuary  (v.  5,)  the  recognition  of  Divine  power  and  mercy 
in  nature  amongst  men  (v.  6 — 8,)  with  the  final  praise  of  pecu- 
liarly merciful  revelations  in  the  kingdom  of  nature,  for  which  they 
now  return  their  thanks  (v.  9 — 12.) 


272  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  and  Song  of  David. 


2  Praise  is  silently  offered  to  thee,  0  God,  in  Sion:* 
And  unto  thee  shall  the  vow  be  performed. 

3  0  thou  that  hearest  prayer, 
Unto  thee  shall  all  flesh  come. 

4  Iniquities  oppress  me: 
Our  sins,  cover  thou  them. 

5  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  choosest, 

And  causest  to  approach  unto  thee,  that  he  may  dwell  in 

thy  courts: 

We  shall  be  satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  thy  house, 
Even  of  thy  holy  temple. 

6  Hear  us  according  to  thy  marvellous  righteousness, 
0  God  of  our  salvation. 

Who  art  the  confidence  of  all  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
And  of  them  that  are  afar  off  by  the  sea  : 

7  Which  by  his  strength  setteth  fast  the  mountains  ; 
Being  girded  with  power. 

8  Which  stilleth  the  noise  of  the  seas, 

The  noise  of  their  waves,  and  the  tumult  of  the  people. 

9  They  also  that  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  are  afraid  at 

thy  tokens  : 

Thou  makest  the  outgoings  of  the  morning  and  evening 
to  rejoice.  f 

10  Thou  visitest  the  earth,  and  waterest  it  : 

Thou  greatly  enrichest  it  with  the  well  of  God,  which  is 

full  of  water  : 
Thou  preparest  them  corn, 
When  thou  hast  so  provided  for  it. 

11  Thou  waterest  the  ridges  thereof  abundantly: 

.  Thou  causest  rain  to  enter  the  furrows  thereof: 
Thou  makest  it  soft  with  showers  : 
Thou  blessest  the  springing  thereof. 

12  Thou  crownest  the  year  with  thy  goodness; 
And  thy  paths  drop  fatness. 

18  They  drop  upon  the  pastures  of  the  wilderness. 

And  the  little  hills  are  girded  with  joy. 
14  The  pastures  are  clothed  with  flocks  ; 

The  valleys  also  are  covered  over  with  corn  ; 

They  shout  for  joy,  they  also  sing. 

*  Or,  "  Thou  art  praised  with  silent  resignation  in  Sion,  0  God." 
f  Or,  "  Thou  makest  glad  all  that  liye  in  the  East  and  in  the  West." 


PSALM   LXV.  273 

F.  2,  3.  David  names  the  two  sacrifices  of  the  pious,  which  are 
demanded  in  Psalm  1.,  adding  the  important  point,  that  the  voice 
of  our  own  will  must  be  silent.  (Isaiah  xxx.  15.)  For  many  praise 
God  for  those  things  which  are  in  conformity  to  their  own  inclina- 
tions. The  reason  of  the  scanty  exhibition  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving, is  that  everything  is  not  sufficiently  received  as  from  the 
hand  of  the  Lord.  These  spiritual  sacrifices  are  offered  in  Zion. 
Though  all  prayers,  even  those  which  men  direct  to  fictitious  deities, 
are  known  to  the  true  God  (for  which  reason  the  Psalmist  adds, 
^Unto  thee  shall  all  flesh  come,"  cf.  v.  6,)  yet  real  prayer  always 
presupposes  the  existence  of  right  knowledge  and  genuine  faith. 
Such  sacrifices  receives  the  Lord  in  Zion,  as  nowhere  else  on 
earth. 

V.  4,  5.  Every  prayer  should  begin  with  the  confession  that 
our  lips  are  unclean,  for  without  that  conviction  no  one  is  able  in 
humble  reverence  to  realize  before  God  the  grace  of  being  permitted 
to  pray.  But  it  must  not  stop  there,  for  the  heart  which  groans 
under  the  weight  of  the  heavy  stone  called  sin,  cannot  mount  to 
heaven.  The  stone  must  be  removed,  and  the  removal  is  effected 
by  grace  and  forgiveness.  It  is  impossible  that  the  voice  of  prayer 
can  pierce  the  heavens,  if  we  cannot  say  with  a  lightened  heart, 
" My  God/'  The  heart  is  constantly  wavering  "like  a  wave  of  the 
sea  driven  with  the  wind  and  tossed,"  (James  i.  6,)  while  there  is 
any  doubt  left  that  God  is  my  God.  So  David  desires  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins ,  before  he  begins  to  thank  and  praise.  As  a  sinner 
who  has  enjoyed  grace,  he  is  with  the  congregation  alive  to  the 
unmerited  gift  of  the  Lord  of  their  being  permitted  to  call  upon 
him  in  this  place  where  rich  consolation  flows  in  such  copious 
streams.  The  temple  and  the  house  of  God  either  designate  the 
tabernacle,  or  the  place  where  the  ark  stood.  (See  ad.  Ps.  xv.  on 
the  courts,  cf.  ad.  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  2.) 

V.  6 — 9.  Before  expressing  their  gratitude  for  the  peculiar 
blessing  which  hurried  them  to  the  house  of  God,  their  mind  rises 
to  the  contemplation  of  the  wonderful  works  of  God.  They  dis- 
tinctly declare  that  all  the  blessings  and  comforts  of  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  flow  from  this  fountain.  It  implies  the  confession  that 
the  prayers  of  the  heathen,  however  erroneous  their  ideas  of  God 
may  be,  do  after  all  ascend  to  the  throne  of  the  God  of  Israel.  It 
has  been  expressly  pointed  out  by  a  prophet,  that  the  same  paternal 
hand  which  brought  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  did  also  lead  and  bless 
pagan  nations.  (Amos  ix.  7,  in  agreement  with  Ps.  Ixvii.  5.)  God 
has  displayed  his  powerful  arm  in  nature  as  well  as  in  history;  he 
has  given  roots  to  the  mountains  that"  they  move  not;  he  stilleth 
the  noise  of  the  waves  of  the  sea  (Ps.  xlvi.  4 ;  xciii.  3,)  and  of  the 
nations.  These  manifestations  of  the  works  of  God  scatter  simul- 
taneously fear  and  joy  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

F.  10;  11.      This  God  reveals  himself  as  Omnipotent  at  the 


274  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

return  of  every  spring,  and  uses  his  might  for  the  bestowal  of  bless- 
ings. He  opens  the  flood-gates  of  heaven — sends  wholesome  showers 
from  autumn,  when  the  early  rain  falls,  down  to  spring,  when  the 
fruit  of  the  field  begins  to  bud  and  to  spring  up  and  needs  the  latter 
rain.  The  wells  and  the  channels  of  water  which  men  dig,  dry  up, 
but  the  well  of  God  gets  never  exhausted  though  it  have  much  land 
to  water.  Thus  the  corn  of  men  gets  prepared.  The  furrows  get 
humid,  the  water  presses  them  down,  and  genial  showers  soften 
everything,  and  lo,  the  blessing  of  God  waves  in  its  golden  beauty ! 
V.  12 — 14.  The  goodness  of  God  crowns  the  year  as  a  diadem 
does  the  brow.  Men  find  out  his  goings  by  the  blessing  of  his 
paths.  The  pastures  of  the  wilderness  are  clothed  with  verdant 
richness — the  very  hills  are  girded  with  joy  and  gladness.  Jocund 
flocks  clothe  the  pastures  as  with  a  garment — the  corn  waves  in  the 
valleys  so  richly  that  the  soil  cannot  be  seen.  Are  these  rejoicings 
of  nature  to  find  no  echo  in  the  human  heart?  Yes;  they  vie  in 
their  rejoicings,  their  rejoicings  swell  into  praise  and  happy  harvest 
songs. 


PSALM  LXVI. 

MANY  interpreters  consider  v.  9 — 12  descriptive  of  the  sufferings 
in  the  exile  at  Babylon,  and  the  psalm  expressive  of  gratitude  for 
deliverance.  It  militates  against  this  view,  that  v.  13 — 20  are 
spoken  by  an  individual,  who  ascribes  that  deliverance  to  his  prayer, 
and  is  able  to  say  of  himself,  that  he  has  not  regarded  iniquity  in 
his  heart,  while  the  nation  looked  at  the  exile  as  the  punishment 
of  their  sins.  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  xliv.;  cvi.  6.)  The  individual  who  here 
expresses  the  gratitude  of  a  whole  nation  for  their  deliverance, 
regarding  it  as  an  answer  to  his  prayers,  cannot  be  any  other  than 
king  Hezekiah,  who  lay  in  fervent  prayer  before  the  Lord  when  the 
Assyrians  were  besieging  Jerusalem,  (2  Kings  xix.  15,)  to  whom 
the  Lord  sent  Isaiah,  saying,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
That  which  thou  hast  prayed  to  me  against  Sennacherib  king  of 
Assyria  I  have  heard/'  (2  Kings  xix.  20;  cf.  Ps.  xlvi.  48.)  It 
appears  from  Isaiah  xxxviii.  9,  that  Hezekiah  used  to  compose 
psalms.  The  fundamental  sentiment  of  the  Psalmist  is  joy — and 
joy  so  great  that  he  invites  all  the  earth  to  share  it  with  him, 
(v.  1 — 4.)  From  the  wonderful  works  of  God  in  the  present,  he 
reverts  to  the  imperishable  deeds  of  God  in  the  past,  and  thence 
infers  that  the  entire  history  of  the  world  is  under  his  almighty 
power,  (v.  5 — 7.)  He  approaches  the  object  of  his  joy,  and  praises 
the  mighty  deliverance,  (v.  8 — 12.)  But  he  forgets  not  his  own 


PSALM  LXVI.  275 

gratitude,  and  fulfils  the  vows  which  he  made  in  the  time  of  need, 
(v.  13 — 15.)  He  shows  also  the  ground  of  the  answer  to  his 
prayers,  namely,  that  God  hears  the  prayers  of  the  upright, 
(v.  16—20.) 


T 


0  the  chief  Musician,  a  Song  or  Psalm. 


1  Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  God,  all  ye  lands : 

2  Sing  forth  the  honour  of  his  name : 
Make  his  praise  glorious. 

3  Say  unto  God,  How  terrible*  are  thy  works ! 
Through  the  greatness  of  thy  power  shall  thine  enemies 

render  homage  unto  thee. 

4  All  the  earth  shall  worship  thee, 

And  shall  sing  unto  thee ;  they  shall  sing  to  thy  name. 
Selah. 

5  Come  and  see  the  works  of  God : 

He  is  terrible  in  his  doing  toward  the  children  of  men. 

6  He  turned  the  sea  into  dry  land: 
They  went  through  the  flood  on  foot : 
Thereat  do  we  rejoice  in  him. 

7  He  ruleth  by  his  power  for  ever ; 

His  eyes  behold  the  nations :  v 

The  rebellious  dare  not  exalt  themselves.     Selah. 

8  0  bless  our  God,  ye  peoples, 

And  make  the  voice  of  his  praise  to  be  heard : 

9  Which  putteth  our  souls  into  life, 

And  suffer eth  not  our  feet  to  be  moved.* 

10  For  thou,  0  God,  hast  proved  us : 
Thou  hast  tried  us,  as  silver  is  tried. 

11  Thou  broughtest  us  into  the  net ; 
Thou  laidest  affliction  upon  our  loins. 

12  Thou  hast  caused  men  to  ride  over  our  heads ; 
We  went  through  fire  and  through  water : 

But  thou  broughtesfrus  out  to  a  place  of  refreshing. 

13  I  will  go  into  thy  house  with  burnt  offerings ; 
I  will  pay  thee  my  vows, 

14  Which  my  lips  have  uttered, 

And  my  mouth  has  spoken  when  I  was  in  trouble. 
151  will  offer  unto  thee  burnt  sacrifices  of  fatlings,  with  the 

incense  of  rams ; 
I  will  offer  bullocks  with  goats.     Selah. 

*  Terrible,  t.  e.  "So  marvellous  as  to  excite  terror." 


276  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  I-SALMS. 

x   • 

16  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God, 

And  I  will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul. 

17  I  cried  unto  him  with  my  mouth, 
And  praise  lay  beneath  my  tongue. 

18  If  I  had  regarded  iniquity  in  my  heart, 
The  LORD  would  not  have  heard  me : 

19  But  verily  God  hath  heard  me: 

He  hath  attended  to  the  voice  of  my  prayer. 

20  Blessed  be  God,  which  hath  not  turned  away  my  prayer, 
Nor  his  mercy  from  me. 

F.  1 — 4.  The  humiliation  of  proud  Sennacherib,  whose  empire 
extended  from  the  interior  of  Asia  to  Egypt,  before  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem,  was  an  event  which,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  remarks 
on  Psalm  xlvi.  and  xlviii.,  spread  gladness  throughout  all  the  sur- 
rounding countries.  The  Psalmist  could,  therefore,  not  without 
E3od  grounds,  invite  all  the  earth  to  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the 
ord.  Hezekiah  had  supplicated  God  in  the  hour  of  need :  "  Now, 
therefore,  O  Lord  our  God,  save  us  from  his  band,  that  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord,  even  thou 
only."  (Isaiah  xxxvii.  20.)  To  (rod  alone  they  ascribe  the  vic- 
tory: it  was  neither  bow,  nor  spear,  nor  any  other  earthly  weapon, 
but  the  Lord  from  heaven  who  fought.  The  God  who  did  perform 
that  miracle  is  the  God  of  old — the  same  God  who  led  Israel  with 
dry  feet  out  of  Egypt  and  across  Jordan.  Faith  regards  these 
records  not  as  old  but  as  new,  and  on  that  account  daily  experi- 
ences them  as  new.  When  conquering  hosts  advance  it  seems  as 
if  God  were  not  noticing  them;  but  the  Psalmist  comforts  the 
congregation  by  declaring  that  "  his  eyes  behold  the  nations/'  and 
that  "  he  ruleth  by  his  power  for  ever/'  that  it  may  be  known  that 
nobody  possesses  power  on  earth  save  he  to  whom  the  Lord  has 
delegated  it,  and  that  it  is  only  to  be  wielded  as  long  as  he  is  will- 
ing to  give  it. 

F.  5 — 12.  Where  has  the  Lord  manifested  himself  as  he  has 
done  before  the  walls  of  Zion?  The  Psalmist  invites  even  the 
heathen  nations  to  join  in  Israel's  songs  of  praise.  He  then 
describes  their  tribulation.  The  Assyrians  had  partly  carried 
their  fenced  cities,  imposed  a  heavy  tax  on  the  nation,  and  com- 
pelled Hezekiah  to  empty  the  temple-treasury.  (2  Kings  xviii.  15, 
16.)  But  all  to  no  purpose.  The  hostile  army  continued  in  the 
land  for  the  space  of  two  years;  the  fields  could  not  be  sowed — 
famine  oppressed  the  nation.  (Isaiah  xxxvii.  30.)  They  were 
obliged  to  listen  to  taunting  language  against  the  king,  the  people, 
and  the  God  of  Israel.  (Isaiah  xxxvi.  18,  19.)  Isaiah  upbraided 
Sennacherib  by  telling  him  that  God  had  long  ago  resolved  upon 
that  calamity  by  his  determinate  counsel :  "  Hast  thou  not  heard 


PSALM  LXVI.  277 

long  ago,  how  I  have  done  it;  and  of  ancient  times,  that  I  have 
formed  it?  Now  have  I  brought  it  to  pass,  that  thou  shouldest  be 
to  lay  waste  defenced  cities  into  ruinous  heaps.  Therefore  their 
inhabitants  were  of  small  power,  they  were  dismayed  and  con- 
founded :  they  were  as  the  grass  of  the  field,  and  as  the  green  herb, 
as  the  grass  on  the  housetops,  and  as  corn  blasted  before  it  be 
grown  up."  (Isaiah  xxxvii.  26,  27.)  The  Psalmist  might  indeed 
say  that  he  and  his  nation  had  been  translated  out  of  death  into 
life,  their  foot  had  been  in  the  net,  and  their  shoulders  burdened; 
that  they  had  gone  through  fire  and  through  water,  (Isaiah  xliii.  2; 
Ezek.  xv.  6,  7;)  and  that  men,  who  knew  not  that  human 
power  is  derived  from  God,  had  haughtily  ridden  over  their  heads. 
(Isaiah  Ivii.  23;  Lam.  v.  5.)  The  bard  declares  also  that  they 
had  been  cast  into  the  crucible  and  tried  as  silver.  With  this 
accords  the  prediction  of  Isaiah,  "Turn  ye  unto  him  from  whom 
the  children  of  Israel  have  deeply  revolted.  For  in  that  day  every 
man  shall  cast  away  his  idols  of  silver  and  his  idols  of  gold,  which 
your  own  hands  have  made  unto  you  for  a  sin."  (Isaiah  xxxi.  6,  7.) 
But  "  the  Lord,  who  killeth  and  maketh  alive,  who  bringeth  down 
to  the  grave  and  bringeth  up,"  (1  Sam.  ii.  6;)  did  also  bring  them 
up  out  of  that  grave. 

V.  13 — 15.  We  read  in  2  Kings  xix.  15,  that  Hezekiah  in 
his  need  went  not  to  man,  but  prayed  before  the  Lord,  saying, 
"0  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  dwellest  between  the  cherubim,  thou 
art  the  God,  even  thou  alone,  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth : 
thou  hast  made  heaven  and  earth.  Lord,  bow  down  thine  ear  and 
hear :  open,  Lord,  thine  eyes  and  see :  and  hear  the  words  of  Sen- 
nacherib, which  hath  sent  him  to  reproach  the  living  God.  Of  a 
truth,  Lord,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  destroyed  the  nations  and 
their  lands,  and  have  cast  their  gods  into  the  fire :  for  they  were  no 
gods,  but  the  work  of  men's  hands,  wood  and  stone :  therefore  they 
have  destroyed  them.  Now  therefore,  0  Lord  our  God,  I  beseech 
thee,  save  thou  us  out  of  his  hand,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord  God,  even  thou  only." 
Though  there  are  found  but  few  whose  thanksgivings  equal  the 
warmth  of  their  petitions,  Hezekiah  at  least  determines  not  to  con- 
tinue in  the  debt  of  God,  and  to  offer  his  choicest  possessions  upon 
the  altar  of  the  Lord. 

V.  16 — 20.  Can  he  be  silent  who  has  made  experience  like  this? 
No,  the  experience  of  every  individual  pious  man  is  the  common 
possession  of  all.  The  mouth  of  Hezekiah  was  uttering  prayer, 
when  through  his  trust  songs  of  praise  were  under  his  tongue.  He 
is  aware  that  prayer  must  be  the  expression  of  an  honest  heart.  In 
supplicating  the  throne  of  God  the  eye  must  not  throw  side-glances 
at  earthly  supports.  Such  prayers  the  Lord  will  hear  and  grant. 

24 


278  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  LXVII. 

THE  hope  of  the  conversion  of  the  world  forms  the  theme  of  this 
psalm. 

0  the  chief  Musician  on  the  harp,  A  Psalm  or  Song. 

2  God  be  merciful  unto  us  and  bless  us ; 

And  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  us.     Selah. 

3  That  thy  way  may  be  known  upon  earth, 
Thy  salvation  among  all  the  heathen. 

4  Let  the  people  praise  thee,  0  God; 
Let  all  the  people  praise  thee. 

5  0  let  the  nations  be  glad  and  sing  for  joy : 
Because  thou  judgest  the  people  righteously, 
And  leadest  the  nations  upon  earth.     Selah. 

6  Let  the  people  praise  thee,  0  God; 
Let  all  the  people  praise  thee. 

7  The  earth  yieldeth  her  increase ; 

And  God,  even  our  own  God,  shall  bless  us. 

8  God  shall  bless  us ; 

And  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear  him. 

V.  2,  3.  This  is  the  blessing  which  Aaron,  the  high  priest, 
pronounced,  in  the  days  of  hoary  antiquity,  upon  Israel.  (Numb, 
vi.  24.)  The  shining  countenance  of  God  on  his  people  is  a  gracious 
one,  the  lustre  of  which  refreshes  the  hearts,  and  pours  blessings 
on  all  the  ways  of  the  people.  The  blessings  of  God  on  Israel  were 
manifold:  the  more  spiritual  ones  used  to  be  spiritually  understood: 
the  Psalmist,  therefore,  prays  for  the  most  spiritual  of  all  blessings, 
that  the  salvation  of  God  might  rise  in  Israel,  and  its  lustre  shine 
upon  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  He  remembered  the  Divine  pro- 
mise made  to  Abraham:  "In  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  be  blessed :"  and  in  a  most  disinterested  manner  prayed  for 
his  people  a  blessing,  which  simultaneously  involves  the  salvation 
of  the  world,  as  the  Lord  says,  "  Salvation  is  of  (or  from)  the  Jews/' 
The  way  of  the  Lord,  which  is  here  referred  to,  is  none  other  than 
that  of  which  Isaiah  prophesied,  saying,  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be 
established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above 
the  hills:  and  all  nations  shall  flow  into  it,  and  many  people  shall 
go  and  say,  <  Come  ye  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob;  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways, 


PSALM  LXVII.  279 

and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths :  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the 
law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem."  (Isa.  ii.  2.  3 ; 
cf.  Ps.  ex.  2.) 

F.  4.  Now  they  call  upon  him  by  many  and  false  names,  but 
in  that  day  there  shall  be  one  Lord  and  his  name  one.  (Zech. 
xiv.  9.)  "For  then  will  I  turn  to  the  people  a  pure  language,  that 
they  may  all  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  serve  him  with 
one  consent.  (Zeph.  iii.  9.) 

F.  5.  vThen  shall  the  nations  know  the  Lord,  to  whom  now  they 
have  built  altars  as  to  the  unknown  God!  (Acts  xvii.  28.)  They 
have  already  enjoyed  benefits  and  blessings  from  the  God  of  Israel: 
but  they  thanked  Baalim,  Moloch,  and  Jupiter  for  them.  Amos 
asks,  "Have  I  not  brought  up  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt? 
and  the  Philistines  from  Caphtor,  and  the  Syrians  from  Kir?" 
(Amos  ix.  7,)  that  his  own  people  might  know  that  the  God  of 
Israel  equally  determines  the  destinies  of  the  heathen.  The  heathen 
themselves  shall  know  it,  when  their  days  shall  have  come. 

F.  6.  The  heart  of  the  Psalmist  rejoices  at  the  thought,  that 
the  day  shall  come,  when  all  the  prayers  and  songs  of  praise  which 
ascend  to  heaven  shall  praise  only  one  name.  In  the  days  of  David 
there  were  about  five  million  souls  in  the  narrow  borders  of  Israel, 
who  did  lift  their  hands  to  the  living  God.  Now  hundreds  of 
millions  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same 
call  upon  his  name,  though  the  full  completion  of  the  Psalmist's 
hope  has  not  yet  arrived. 

F.  7.  Many  commentators  interpret  "the  increase  of  the  earth," 
of  the  fruit  of  the  field;  but  the  Psalmist  can  only  have  figurativly 
spoken  of  the  fruit  of  the  field  in  this  connection.  He  intended  to 
designate  by  it  the  multiform  spiritual  and  temporal  blessings  which 
should  then  appear.  Hosea  prophecies  in  the  same  sense,  placing 
temporal  and  spiritual  blessings  in  juxtaposition.  "And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  that  day,  I  will  hear,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  hear 
the  heavens,  and  they  shall  hear  the  earth ;  and  the  earth  shall  hear 
the  corn,  and  the  wine,  and  the  oil,  and  they  shall  hear  Jezreel 

g.  e.  the  Israel  sown  by  God.)  And  I  will  sow  her  unto  me  in 
e  earth,  and  I  will  have  mercy  upon  her  that  had  not  obtained 
mercy;  and  I  will  say  to  not  my  people,  Thou  art  my  people;  and 
they  shalt  say,  Thou  art  my  God."  (Hos.  ii.  21—23.)  As  the 
same  prophet  says  elsewhere :  "I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel :  he 
shall  grow  as  the  lily  and  cast  forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon.  His 
branches  shall  spread,  and  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive  tree,  and 
his  smell  as  Lebanon.  They  that  dwell  under  his  shadow  shall 
return;  they  shall  revive  as  the  corn,  and  grow  as  the  vine:  the 
memorial  thereof  shall  be  as  the  wine  of  Lebanon.  Ephraim  shall 
say,  What  have  I  to  do  any  more  with  idols  ?  I  have  heard  him 
and  observed  him:  I  am  like  a  green  fir  tree.  From  me  is  thy 
fruit  found."  (Hos,  xiv.  6—9.) 


280  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

F.  8.  Yes,  the  Lord  shall  be  to  Israel  like  a  bright  refreshing 
fountain;  but  his  blessing  is  the  blessing  of  the  world,  and  there 
shall  be  channels  made  so  that  waters  may  stream  forth  unto  all  the 
lands  of  the  earth. 


PSALM  LXVIII. 

A  SUBLIME  psalna  to  the  praise  of  God.  Its  ancient  origin  appears 
from  the  character  of  its  language.*  The  authorship  of  David  is 
confirmed  by  verse  28,  which  represents  the  twelve  tribes  as  still 
united:  after  the  division  of  the  kingdom  they  did  no  more  con- 
jointly worship  in  the  temple,  and  after  the  captivity  of  the  tribes 
the  former  kingdom  could  not  be  mentioned,  since  individuals  only 
did  return. *}•  The  occasion  of  the  psalm  may  be  conceived  as  a 
gained  victory,  from  which  the  ark  was  brought  home  to  Zion.  (Cf. 
Introduction  ad.  Ps.  xlvii.) 

The  opening  verses  (v.  2 — 7)  celebrate  in  the  words  of  Moses 
the  victorious  power  of  Jehovah :  verses  8 — 15  praise  the  mani- 
festations of  Divine  protection  and  triumphant  strength  in  the  early 
days  of  the  nation:  and  (v.  16 — 19)  Mount  Zion  where  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  having  humbled  his  enemies,  has  fixed  his  abode, 
mighty  and  glorious  as  once  on  Sinai.  Verses  20 — 24  praise  the 
future  hopes  of  Israel  from  such  a  God.  In  verses  25 — 28  the 
details  of  the  procession  arrest  the  attention  of  the  Psalmist;  and 
verses  29 — 32  stretch  beyond  the  final  victories  of  all  the  enemies 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xlvii.  Ixxvi.)  The  final 
strophe  (v.  33 — 36)  exhorts  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  worship 
this  God. 

1  rpO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  or  Song  of  David. 

2  Let  God  arise,  let  his  enemies  be  scattered : 
Let  them  also  that  hate  him  flee  before  him. 

3  As  smoke  is  driven  away,  so  drive  them  away: 
As  wax  melteth  before  the  fire, 

So  let  the  wicked  perish  at  the  presence  of  God. 

•  To  judge  from  the  antiquity  of  its  language,  the  concise  description, 
the  thoroughly,  fresh,  forcible,  and  occasional  artlessly  ironical  expression 
of  its  poetry,  we  consider  this  poem  as  one  of  the  most  ancient  monuments 
of  Hebrew  poetry. — Boettcher. 

f  Ps.  Ix.  9.  The  mention  of  the  separate  tribes  is  a  mark  of  the  anti- 
quity of  the  psalm. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  281 

4  But  let  the  righteous  be  glad ; 
Let  them  rejoice  before  God: 
Yea,  let  them  exceedingly  rejoice. 

5  Sing  unto  God,  sing  praises  to  his  name ; 

Extol  him  that  rideth  upon  the  heavens  by  his  name 

JAH.* 
And  rejoice  before  him. 

6  A  father  of  the  fatherless,  and  a  judge  of  the  widows, 
Is  God  in  his  holy  habitation. 

7  God  setteth  the  exiled  into  their  homes, 
He  bringeth  out  the  captives, 

But  causeth  the  rebellious  to  dwell  in  the  desert. 

8  0  God,  when  thou  wentest  forth  before  thy  people. 
When  thou  didst  march  through  the  wilderness ;  Selah : 

9  The  earth  shook,  the  heavens  also  dropped  at  the  pre- 

sence of  God. 

That  Sinai  shook  at  the  presence  of  God,  the  God  of 
Israel. 

10  Thou,  0  God,  didst  shake  out  a  gracious  rain, 
Whereby  thou  didst  refresh  thine  inheritance,  when  it 

was  weary. 

11  Thy  congregation  dwelt  therein: 

Thou,  0  God,  hast  prepared  of  thy  goodness  for  the 
poor. 

12  The  LORD  gave  the  word  (word  of  victory?) 

Great  was  the  company  of  those  that  published  it,  (or, 
messengers  of  victory  to  the  great  army.'7) 

13  Kings  of  armies  did  flee  apace : 

And  she  that  tarried  at  home  divided  the  spoil. 

14  When  ye  shall  lie  (again)  among  your  borders  (border 

stones,) 

Te  shall  be  as  the  wings  of  a  dove  covered  with  silver, 
And  her  feathers  with  yellow  gold. 

15  When  the  Almighty  scattered  kings  in  it, 
It  was  white  as  snow  in  Salmon. 

16  Ye  mountains  of  God,  ye  mountains  of  Bashan, 
Ye  high  mountains,  ye  mountains  of  Bashan, 

17  Why,  0  ye  high  mountains,  why  do  ye  blink 
At  the  hill  which  God  desireth  to  dwell  in  ? 
Yea,  the  LORD  will  dwell  in  it  for  ever. 

*  Or,  "  Make  way  for  him,  who  rideth  through  the  plain,  Jehovah  is  his 
name,  rejoice  before  him." 
24* 


282  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

18  The  chariots  of  God  are  many  thousands  and  thousands 

of  angels : 
The  LORD  is  among  them  as  in  Sinai,  in  the  holy  place. 

19  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive : 
Thou  hast  received  gifts  from  men  ;* 

Yea,  the  rebellious  also  shall  dwell  with  the  LORD  God. 

20  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  daily  loadeth  us  with  benefits, 
Even  the  God  of  our  salvation.     Selah.f 

21  He  that  is  our  God  is  the  God  of  salvation ; 

And  unto  God  the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death.  J 

22  But  God  shall  wound  the  head  of  his  enemies, 

And  the  hairy  scalp  of  such  an  one  as  goeth  on  still  in 
his  trespasses. 

23  The  Lord  said,  I  will  bring  again  from  Bashan, 

I  will  bring  t'hem  again  from  the  depths  of  the  sea : 

24  That  thy  foot  may  be  dipped  in  the  blood  of  thine  ene- 

mies, 
And  the  tongue  of  thy  dogs  in  the  same. 

25  They  have  seen  thy  goings,  0  God ; 

Even  the  goings  of  my  God,  my  King,  in  the  sanctuary. 

26  The  singers  went  before,  the  players  on  instruments 

followed  after; 

Among  them  were  the  damsels  playing  with  timbrels. 
2T  "  Bless  ye  God  in  the  congregations, 

Even  the  LORD,  from  the  fountain  of  Israel." 

28  There  is  little  Benjamin  with  their  ruler, 
The  princes  of  Judah  and  their  council, 

The  princes  of  Zebulun,  and  the  princes  of  Naphtali. 

29  Thy  God  hath  commanded  thy  strength  : 
Strengthen,  0  God,  that  which  thou  hast  wrought  for  us. 

30  Because  of  thy  temple  at  Jerusalem 
Shall  kings  bring  presents  unto  thee. 

31  Rebuke  the  beast  of  the  reed, 

The  multitude  of  the  bulls,  with  the  calves  of  the  people, § 

*  Or,  "In  men,"  i.  e.  men  themselves  as  gifts. 

f  Or,  "  The  God  who  bears  for  us,  is  our  help." 

{  Luther  renders,  "And  the  Lord  God,  who  delivereth  irom  death." 
But  E.  V.  is  more  correct.  Cf.  Ps.  xlviii.  15. 

J  The  beast  of  the  reeds  is  the  lion,  concealed  in  the  reeds  of  Jordan, 
(Jer.  xlix.  19;  1.  44;  Zech.  xi.  3.)  Lions  and  bulls  denote  strong  nations, 
the  calves  the  lesser  tribes. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  283 

Till  every  one  submit  himself  with  pieces  of  silver  ;* 
Scatter  thou  the  people  that  delight  in  war. 

32  Princes  shall  come  out  of  Egypt ; 

Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God. 

33  Sing  unto  God,  ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth) 
0  sing  praises  unto  the  Lord ;   Selah : 

34  To  him  that  rideth  upon  the  heavens  of  heavens  from 

everlasting : 
Lo,  he  doth  send  out  his  voice,  and  that  a  mighty  voice.f 

35  Ascribe  ye  strength  unto  God : 
His  excellency  is  over  Israel, 
And  his  strength  is  in  the  clouds. 

36  0  God,  thou  art  terrible  out  of  thy  holy  places : 

The  God  of  Israel  is  he  that  giveth  strength  and  power 

unto  his  people. 
Blessed  be  God. 

F.  2 — 7.  The  invocation,  which  the  priests  used  to  sing 
(Numb.  x.  35,)  in  the  days  of  Moses  when  the  ark  set  forward, 
had  become  verified  in  this  instance.  It  is  indeed  a  theme  which  in 
ever  new  variations  is  being  repeated  at  different  epochs  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  kingdom  of  God,  until  the  final  judgment  shall  absorb 
and  complete  all  the  preceding  judgments  of  Grod.  Yerse  5  alludes 
to  the  eastern  custom  of  levelling  the  roads  before  monarchs  on 
their  journeys,  (Isaiah  xl.  3,  4.)  The  ark  of  the  Lord  in  the  pro- 
cession must  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

F.  8 — 15.  Proofs  of  Divine  government  are  adduced  from  the 
history  of  Israel.  The  power  and  guardian  care  of  God  had 
become  evident  in  the  miracles,  (Exod.  xix.  18;  Lev.  iv.  11; 
Psalm  cxiv.  6.)  on  ihat\  Sinai,  in  the  blessings  which  revived  the 
fainting  people  during  their  forty  years'  leadings  in  the  wilderness, 
and  finally  in  the  victories  by  which  the  holy  land  became  the  pro- 
perty of  the  people  of  God.  The  Psalmist  remembers  Deborah's 
(Judges  v.  4,  5,)  song  in  verses  8,  9.  Having  in  verse  11  referred 
to  the  possession  of  Canaan  as  a  proof  of  Divine  mercy,  he  remem- 
bers, as  in  Psalm  Ixxviii.  60,  etc.,  the  attacks  and  humiliations 
which  the  nation  had  to  encounter  in  the  days  of  the  Judges,  and 
still  lingering  on  the  song  of  Deborah,  speaks  of  female  messengers 
of  victory — for  it  was  customary  for  women  to  sing  songs  of  victory, 
(Exodus  xv.  20;  1  Sam.  xviii.  6.)  To  this  is  added  the  joyful 

*  Cf.  respecting  this  construction  Gesen.  Thes.  S.  V.  $£^  against  Mau- 
rer's  objections. 

f  Or,  "Lo !  he  shall  send  out  his  thunder,  the  thunder  of  might." 

J  The  use  of  *ft  is  peculiar  to  this  passage,  and  Psalm  Ixxviii.  54; 

civ.  25 :  it  indicates  a  well-known  subject. 


284  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

employment  of  the  women,  to  divide  the  spoil  for  which  the  war- 
riors had  fought.  After  wearisome  battles  the  people  shall  once 
more  abide  within  their  borders,  glittering  in  their  conquered  gold 
and  silver.  The  Psalmist  next  refers  to  Gideon's  victory  over  the 
Midianites,  the  theatre  of  which  lay  in  the  mountains  of  Ephraim 
and  the  surrounding  regions.  *  That  victory  is  celebrated  in  Psalm 
Ixxxiii.  The  mountain  of  Salmon  is  in  that  district  not  far  from 
Schechem,  which  was  covered  with  slain  as  with  flakes  of  snow.* 

F.  16 — 19.  The  bard  descends  from  the  past  to  the  present. 
The  insignificant  mount  Zion  has  attained  to  an  honour  distin- 
guishing it  above  all  other  mountains,  (Isa.  ii.  2.)  The  God  of 
Israel  fights  with  spiritual  hosts,  (2  Kings  vi.  15,  16;  Ps.  ciii.  20; 
Judges  v.  20;)  as  he  appeared  on  Sinai  in  days  of  yore,  so  he  still 
ruleth  by  his  might :  he  has  just  ascended  to  Zion,  having  taken 
captive  his  enemies,  and  received  gifts  and  worship  from  men: 
even  the  rebellious  shall  submit  to  him.  The  apostle  Paul  applies 
in  Eph.  iv.  8 — 10,  this  passage  to  Christ,  who  ascended  to  heaven, 
conquered  his  opponents,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  This  is  a  simi- 
lar adaptation  of  the  Old  Testament  as  that  in  Rom.  x.  6,  7.  The 
apostle's  meaning  is,  that  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament  is  also  the 
God  of  the  New  Testament:  as  there  the  victorious  God  of  Israel 
ascended  on  high,  so  here  Christ  carrying  his  own  with  him  as 
conquered.  Paul  had  just  said,  "But  unto  every  one  of  us  is  given 
grace  according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ/'  and  connect- 
ing with  it  the  citation  says,  "and  gave  gifts  unto  men." 

F.  20 — 24.  Trust  for  the  future  is  based  on  the  victory  of  the 
present;  the  Lord  will  deliver  his  people  from  the  deepest  gulfs — 
though  the  foes  of  Israel  lie  concealed  on  the  woody  heights  of 
Bashan  or  the  depths  of  the  sea,  (Cf.  Amos  ix.  3;)  they  shall  not 
escape  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord. 

F.  25—28.  The  Psalmist  delights  in  the  lovely  spectacle  of 
the  solemn  procession.  The  choruses  of  male  singers  come  first, 
the  players  on  instruments  next — men  with  stringed  instruments, 
the  damsels  with  the  tambourines,  which  in  the  East  to  the 
present  day  are  carried  by  females.  The  contents  of  their  songs  of 
praise  are  stated  in  brief:  they  are  exhortations  to  the  nation,  which 
since  the  days  of  the  fathers,  i.  e.  the  patriarchs,  is  Jehovah's  pos- 
session, to  make  the  praise  of  the  Lord  their  peculiar  and  continu- 
ous occupation.  The  tribe  of  David,  with  the  heads  of  the  two 
northern  tribes  of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  are  mentioned  in  lieu  of 
the  rest. 

F.  29 — 32.  The  Lord  has  taken  his  abode  on  Zion  and  estab- 
lished his  kingdom.  The  divinely  inspired  Psalmist  beholds  its 
infinitely  glorious  destiny,  to  incorporate  in  itself  all  the  nations  of 

*  The  snow  might  probably  allude  to  their  numerous  silver  jewellery. 
The  spoil  of  jewellery  of  gold  is  mentioned  in  Judges  ytii. 


PSALM  LXIX. 

the  earth.  We  may  gather  from  this  passage  that  the  declarations 
of  the  prophets  concerning  war  and  victories  on  earth,  of  gold  and 
silver  that  shall  be  brought  to  Jerusalem,  (Psalm  Ixxii.  10;  Isaiah 
Ix.  6,  7,)  have  fundamentally  a  spiritual  meaning,  for  we  have  also 
in  this  place  an  immediate  reference  to  the  worship  of  the  only  true 
God,  in  which  the  mighty  Egypt  and  the  distant  Ethiopia  shall 
engage.  (Psalm  xlvii.  67;  Zeph.  iii.  10.) 

F.  33 — 35.  The  Psalmist,  as  if  anxious  to  demonstrate  the 
necessity  of  the  future  worship  of  the  Lord  by  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  speaks  of  his  primeval  power  in  heaven,  the  expression  of 
which  mortals  hear  in  the  voice  of  thunder,  basing  thereon  a  call 
upon  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  to  pay  homage  to  the  eternally 
Almighty  Lord.  That  homage,  however  glorious,  is  connected 
with  the  acknowledgment  of  the  dignity  and  destiny  of  Israel — for 
Israel  is  the  theatre  of  his  revelation — the  people  from  whom  the 
salvation  of  God  shall  flow  to  the  rest  of  the  nations. 


PSALM  LXIX. 

A  PLAINTIVE  psalm,  which  must  belong  to  the  period  when 
David  was  still  at  the  court  of  Saul,  for  he  complains  of  his  daily 
acquaintances  (v.  13.  21,  22;)  his  piety  is  the  cause  of  his 
reproach  (v.  8.  10;)  he  complains  of  reproach  and  derision,  not  of 
persecutions  unto  death.  He  refers  not  to  the  king  himself,  but 
to  those  who  persecuted  and  calumniated  him  from  envy,  flattery, 
and  impiousness.  (Cf.  1  Sam.  xxiv.  10;  xxvi.  19;  and  ad. 
Ps.  vii.)  We  find  in  the  history  of  David  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  19) 
an  invocation  of  Divine  justice  against  the  obdurate  in  heart,  and 
an  imprecation  on  the  delusion  of  the  same  parties,  of  whom  he 
indignantly  expresses  himself  in  verse  23,  etc. 

The  figurative  allusion  to  captives  in  verse  34,  renders  it  proba- 
ble that  this  psalm  was  like  many  others  sung  both  during  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  and  at  the  later  temple-services  with  the 
addition  of  verses  35—37.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xiv.  7;  xxv.  22;  li.  20,  21.) 

The  Psalmist  begins  his  song  in  a  profound  sense  of  need,  after 
he  had  for  a  long  time  sent  his  prayers  in  vain  to  heaven  (v.  2 — 4.) 
Conscious  of  his  innocence  he  has  to  endure  bitter  calumny — men 
hate  in  him  the  cause  of  God  (v.  5 — 10.)  The  very  grief  of  his 
sufferings  is  the  object  of  derision  (v.  11 — 13.)  He  seeks  for 
strength  in  prayer — in  prayer  to  Him  who  is  the  secret  witness  of 
his  reproach  and  struggles  (v.  14 — 20.)  His  heart  is  broken,  he  is 
reduced  to  the  bed  of  languishing,  but  instead  of  the  food  of  sym- 
pathy they  bring  him  gall  and  vinegar  (v.  21 — 22.)  His  indigna- 


286  COMMENTARY  ON  THE   PSALMS. 

tion  arises  at  obduracy  so  profound :  remembering  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  "Vengeance  is  mine,  /will  recompense/'  (Deut.  xxxii.  35,) 
he  is  resolved,  however,  quietly  to  endure  and  persevere  (v.  30,) 
but  invokes  his  vengeance  of  him  who  has  declared  that  it 
belongs  unto  him,  (v.  20 — 29.)  His  song  has  made  him  more 
calm,  he  looks  forward  to  the  time  when  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
pious  he  will  not  only  offer  visible  sacrifices,  but  those  which 
above  all  are  well-pleasing  to  the  Lord,  (Psalm  1.  23;)  songs  of 
jpraise  which  flow  from  a  grateful  heart,  (v.  30 — 34.) 

1  rPO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  "  the  lilies/ '  A  Psalm 
X         of  David. 

2  Save  me,  0  God; 

For  the  waters  are  come  in  unto  my  soul. 

3  I  sink  in  deep  mire,  where  there  is  no  standing : 

I  am  come  into  deep  waters,  and  the  floods  will  sweep 
me  off. 

4  I  am  weary  of  my  crying :  my  throat  is  dried : 
Mine  eyes  fail  while  I  wait  for  my  God. 

5  They  that  hate  me  without  a  cause 
Are  more  than  the  hairs  of  mine  head : 

They  that  would  destroy  me,  being  mine  enemies  wrong- 
fully, are  mighty : 
I  shall  restore  that  which  I  took  not  away : 

6  0  God,  THOU  knowest  my  foolishness; 
And  my  sins  are  not  hid  from  THEE. 

7  Let  not  them  that  wait  on  thee,  0  Lord  GOD  of  hosts, 
Be  ashamed  for  my  sake ; 

Let  not  those  that  seek  thee  be  confounded  for  my  sake, 
0  God  of  Israel. 

8  Because  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne  reproach ; 
Shame  hath  covered  my  face. 

9  I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my  brethren, 
And  an  alien  unto  my  mother's  children. 

10  For  the  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up ; 

And  the  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee  are 
fallen  upon  me. 

11  When  I  wept,  and  chastened  my  soul  with  fasting, 
That  was  to  my  reproach. 

12  I  made  sackcloth  also  my  garment; 
And  I  became  a  proverb  to  them. 

13  They  that  sit  in  the  gate  speak  against  me; 
And  I  was  the  song  of  the  drunkards. 


PSALM   LXIX.  287 

14  But  as  for  me,  my  prayer  is  unto  thee,  0  LORD,  in  an 

acceptable  time : 

0  God,  in  the  multitude  of  thy  mercy  hear  me,  in  the 
truth  of  thy  salvation. 

15  Deliver  me  out  of  the  mire,  and  let  me  not  sink : 

Let  me  be  delivered  From  them  that  hate  me,  and  out  of 
the  deep  waters. 

16  Let  not  the  waterflood  sweep  me  off, 
Nor  let  the  deep  swallow  me  up, 

And  let  not  the  pit  shut  her  mouth  upon  me. 

17  Hear  me,  0  LORD  ;  for  thy  lovingkindness  is  good : 
Turn  unto  me  according  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender 

mercies. 

18  And  hide  not  thy  face  from  thy  servant ; 
For  I  am  in  trouble ;  hear  me  speedily. 

19  Draw  nigh  unto  my  soul,  and  redeem  it : 
Deliver  me  because  of  mine  enemies. 

20  Thou  knowest  my  reproach,  and  my  shame,  and  my  dis- 

honour : 
Mine  adversaries  are  all  before  thee. 

21  Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart; 
And  I  am  full  of  heaviness : 

And  I  look  for  some  to  take  pity,  but  there  is  none; 
And  for  comforters,  but  I  find  none. 

22  They  give  me  also  gall  for  my  meat ; 

And  in  my  thirst  they  give  me  vinegar  to  drink. 

23  Let  their  table  become  a  snare  before  them : 

And  when  they  think  themselves  in  peace,  let  it  become 
a  trap. 

24  Let  their  eyes  be  darkened,  that  they  see  not : 
And  make  their  loins  continually  to  shake. 

25  Pour  out  thine  indignation  upon  them, 

And  let  thy  wrathful  anger  take  hold  of  them. 

26  Let  their  habitation  be  desolate ; 
And  let  none  dwell  in  their  tents. 

27  For  they  persecute  him  whom  thou  hast  smitten ; 

And  they  talk  to  the  grief  of  those  whom  thou  hast 
wounded. 

28  Add  punishment  unto  their  iniquity:* 

And  let  them  not  come  into  thy  righteousness. 

29  Let  them  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  the  living, 
And  not  be  written  with  the  righteous. 

*  Or  render  with  Luther,  "Let  them  fall  from  one  sin  into  another." 


288  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

30  But  I  am  poor  and  sorrowful : 

Let  thy  salvation,  0  God,  set  me  up  on  high. 

31  I  will  praise  the  name  of  God  with  a  song, 
And  will  magnify  him  with  thanksgiving. 

32  This  also  shall  please  the  LOUD  better  than  an  ox 
Or  bullock  that  hath  horns  and  hoofs. 

33  The  humble  shall  see  this,  and  be  glad : 
And  your  heart  shall  live  that  seek  God. 

34  For  the  LORD  heareth  the  poor, 
And  despiseth  not  his  prisoners. 

Chorus. 

35  Let  the  heaven  and  earth  praise  him, 

The  seas,  and  everything  that  moveth  therein. 

36  For  God  will  save  Zion,  and  will  build  the  cities  of  Judah, 
That  they  may  dwell  there,  and  have  it  in  possession. 

37  The  seed  also  of  his  servants  shall  inherit  it  : 
And  they  that  love  his  name  shall  dwell  therein. 

V.  2,  3.  As  Joseph  was  cast  into  the  pit  by  his  brothers,  (Gen. 
xxxvii.  24,)  as  Jeremiah  was  thrown  into  the  dungeon  of  mire,* 
(Jer.  xxxviii.  6,)  so .  David  regards  himself  as  cast  into  a  pit,  in 
the  miry  depth  of  which  he  is  unable  to  find  a  standing,  while  the 
floods  threaten  to  sweep  him  away.  We  hear  him  as  an  old  man, 
looking  back  to  those  days  from  the  royal  throne,  praise  the  Lord : 
"He  sent  from  above,  he  took  me,  he  drew  me  out  of  great  waters." 
(Ps.  xviii.  17.) 

V.  4.  His  piteous  complaints  begin  not  with  the  first  stroke  of 
the  chastising  rod,  as  effeminate  minds  are  wont  to  do;  but  the 
hero  of  the  battle-field,  who  had  slain  his  ten  thousands,  is  equally 
a  hero  in  endurance.  Weeks  and  months  had  passed  over  his  use- 
less sorrow,  his  throat  had  got  dried  with  crying,  his  eyes  weak 
with  looking  in  vain  for  the  arm  of  the  Lord.  A  change  seemed  to 
have  come  over  the  heart  of  Saul,  but  the  voice  of  calumny  rose 
anew,  and  an  evil  spirit  seized  the  king.  The  blows  of  the  rod 
became  the  blows  of  the  club,  among  which  he  did  not  least  feel 
that  the  door  of  access  to  the  Lord  was  shut,  that  he  had  to  wait  in 
vain.  He  seeks  comfort  in  God  for  his  ineffectual  waiting  on  God. 

V.  5.  By  far  the  greater  number  of  the  courtiers  and  servants 
of  Saul  belonged  to  his  own  tribe — the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  (1  Sam. 
xxii.  7.)  They  shared  in  all  probability  the  sentiments  of  Cush 

*  They  are  cisterns  for  the  collection  of  rain-water,  with  so  narrow  an 
opening  above  that  a  stone  is  sufficient  to  shut  them:  the  reason  is  to  keep 
out  the  drifted  sand.  They  gradually  widen  below,  and  if  not  full  of  water 
are  full  of  mire. 


PSALM   LXIX.  289 

the  Benjaminite,  of  whose  envenomed  speech  complaint  is  made  in 
Psalm  vii.  The  king  went  at  a  later  period,  accompanied  by  three 
thousand  young  men,  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive.  (1  Sam.  xxiv.  3.) 
As  was  the  king,  so  were  his  servants.  Innocent  in  heart,  David 
was  perfectly  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  the  anger  of  the  king  did 
not  subside.  He  sought  for  reconciliation  after  the  bitterest  per- 
secution, asking  from  the  innocence  of  his  heart,  "What  have  I 
done?  what  is  mine  iniquity?"  (1  Sam.  xx.  1.)  His  expression, 
"I  shall  restore  that  which  I  took  not  away,"  is  a  proverbial  form 
of  speech  descriptive  of  all  kinds  of  unfounded  accusation.  David, 
complaining  of  being  innocently  persecuted,  was  far  from  desiring 
to  suffer  as  guilty.  Socrates,  on  his  wife  visiting  him  in  prison  and 
grieving  at  his  suffering  without  a  cause,  asked  her  whether  she 
would  rather  see  him  suffer  as  guilty.  So  David's  complaint  simply 
purports  to  remind  God  of  his  eternal  justice,  the  administration 
of  which  he  has  of  his  own  accord  pledged  to  man. 

F.  6.  It  is  one  of  the  wiles  of  Satan  that  man,  when  persecuted 
with  innocent  reproaches,  gets  more  prone  to  delude  himself  as  to 
his  real  guilt.  Not  so  David.  He  ignores  righteousness  before  the 
Lord,  though  he  may  courageously  show  his  face  to  man.  He  may 
therefore  confidently  expect  that  He  who  had  so  often  called  him- 
self the  judge  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  will  not  suffer  his 
righteous  cause  to  perish. 

F.  7.  The  sufferings  of  a  servant  of  God  are  never  confined  to 
him  as  an  individual.  Whenever  the  Lord  succours  his  people  in 
general,  when  and  wheresoever  it  may  be,  it  affects  every  individual, 
and  is  to  every  one  of  them  a  seal  of  mercy — while  on  the  other 
hand  the  cause  of  the  individual  is  equally  the  cause  of  all  the  rest. 
The  Church  is  one  body — you  cannot  touch  a  toe  without  affecting 
the  whole  body.  "Whether  one  member  suffer,  all  the  members 
suffer  with  it;  or  one  member  be  honoured,  all  the  members  rejoice 
with  it."  (1  Cor.  xii.  26.)  Happy  is  that  servant  of  the  Lord  who 
suffers  not  as  an  individual,  but  as  a  member,  for  the  whole  body 
suffers  with  him,  strengthening  his  cause  in  the  Lord. 

F.  8 — 10.  David  adduces  the  evidence  that  it  was  not  his  own 
cause  only  that  was  at  stake,  for  he  was  zealous  not  only  for  his 
cause,  but  for  that  of  his  God.  The  sacred  earnestness  to  which 
he  gave  expression  as  a  king  in  words  like  these,  "A  froward  heart 
shall  depart  from  me :  I  will  not  know  a  wicked  person,"  (Ps.  ci.  4,) 
dated  not  from  his  accession  to  the  throne,  but  accompanied  him 
from  his  father  Jesse's  flock  to  the  court  of  Saul.  He  became  on 
that  account  an  object  of  derision  to  men  like  Doeg  and  Cush,  and 
not  only  to  them  but  to  his  nearest  kinsmen.  (Cf.  Ps.  xxxviii.  12, 
13.)  David  already  had  to  realize  the  words  of  our  Saviour,  that 
"a  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household  because  of  the 
truth."  He  refers  not  to  his  natural  brothers,  for  his  friends  did 
25 


290  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

not  accompany  him  to  the  residence,*  but  he  means  his  friends  by 
marriage  at  the  court  of  Saul,  Jonathan  excepted.  They  are  called 
brothers.  (2  Sam.  i.  26;  Gen.  xiv.  14;  xxiv.  27.)  The  "house  of 
God"  designates  not  only  the  tabernacle,  but  the  congregation  that 
used  to  assemble  there,  that  generation  of  the  children  of  God  of 
which  he  speaks  Psalm  Ixxiii.  15.  (Cf.  Ps.  xv.  1;  xxiii.  6;  xxvii. 
4;  Hi.  10.)  We  have  already  noticed  the  fulness  of  meaning  and 
abundance  of  riches  which  to  David  lay  concealed  in  the  term, 
"The  house  of  God."  "The  children  of  men  get  drunk  with  the 
riches  of  thine  house."  (Psalm  xxxvi.  9.)  One  thing  have  I 
desired  of  the  Lord,  that  will  I  seek  after,  that  I  may  dwell  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life."  (Psalm  xxvii.  4.)  But 
however  much  his  soul  was  kindled  with  love  for  the  house  of  his 
God,  his  zeal  was  that  of  a  servant,  while  Christ's  zeal  was  that  of 
the  son  of  the  house;  hence  the  disciples  of  our  Saviour,  on  behold- 
ing his  zeal  for  the  temple,  remembered  that  then  this  passage 
met  its  true  fulfilment.  (John  ii.  17.)  David  feels  himself  strong 
and  thoroughly  armed  in  being  able  to  identify  his  cause  with  that 
of  the  Lord.  But  on  the  other  hand,  how  great  are  the  sufferings 
of  that  man  in  this  earth  of  sin  and  wickedness,  who  feels  every 
reproach  which  touches  God,  as  touching  himself! 

V.  11 — 13.  They  who  see  that  the  honour  of  God  is  insulted 
when  their  own  is,  weep  away  their  life  grieving  and  mourning. 
But  does  it  stand  to  reason,  that  those  who  have  no  tears  for  their 
own  sins  should  appreciate  the  tears  shed  because  of  the  sins  of 
others  ?  Yes,  the  very  persons  that  occasion  those  tears  mock  at 
them.  They  sit  at  the  gates  where  idlers  assemble,  (Ruth  iv.  1 ; 
Prov.  xxxi.  81,)  and  the  inns  where  drunkards  meet,  (Job  xxx.  9,) 
gossiping  and  singing  away  the  conscientious  scruples  which  the 
sight  of  a  man,  who  weeps  over  the  sins  of  the  race,  might  possibly 
have  aroused. 

F.  14.  While  they  prate  and  sing,  the  pious  bard  reverts  to 
prayer.  Human  resources  are  exhausted — he  confines  himself  to 
God  alone.  He  must  wait,  but  he  hopes  earlier  or  later  to  catch 
the  moment  when  Divine  goodness,  though  at  present  hid  behind 
the  cloud,  shall  send  forth  her  glorious  beams.  He  might  in  prayer 
have  consoled  himself  with  the  crown  promised  to  the  believing 
sufferer,  but  though  all  his  sufferings  were  endured  in  the  cause  of 
the  Lord,  in  hoping  for  an  answer  he  neither  takes  his  stand  on  .his 
sufferings  nor  on  his  works,  but  prays,  "  In  the  multitude  of  thy 
mercy  hear  me" 

V.  15,  16.     His  feet  threaten  to  sink  in  the  mire;  the  tumult 

*  It  may  also  be  inferred  that  they  remained  at  Bethlehem,  from  the 
fact  that  when  David  on  his  flight  got  to  the  cave  Adullam,  we  are  told  that 
his  brothers  came  to  see  him.  That  cave  was  only  a  few  miles  distant  from 
Bethlehem,  not  far  from  Thekoa.  (1  Sam.  xxii.  1.) 


PSALM  LXIX.  291 

of  his  enemies  comes  rolling  like  a  mighty  flood  of  waters.  He 
deprecates  the  extremity  of  woe.  Those  cisterns  have  a  narrow 
mouth,  which  if  shut,  bring  painful  and  bitter  death  to  the  unhappy 
prisoner  who  is  confined  in  them.  So  David  prays  that  the  one 
vista  of  the  bright  heavens  above  might  not  be  stopped,  that  the  pit 
might  not  shut  its  mouth  over  him. 

F.  17 — 19.  His  prayer  gains  in  intensity:  his  consolation  flows 
from  the  unchangeable  attributes  of  God,  which  are  now  as  they 
were  then,  the  fount  of  comfort  to  the  pious,  of  which,  however, 
we  Christians  only  have  received  the  true  pledge.  His  hope  is  not 
based  on  his  works,  nor  his  sufferings,  but  on  the  mercy  and  lov- 
ingkindness  of  the  Lord.  Let  him  in  his  great  trouble  only  behold 
the  face  of  the  Lord,  and  he  is  happy  to  know  that  He  is  nigh,  and 
he  is  comforted. 

V.  20.  His  anxiety  only  makes  him  say  that  his  God  does  not 
see  him.  David  knows  that  when  the  eye  of  man  is  averted  from 
the  humbled,  and  has  no  delight  in  him,  then  the  eye  of  God 
fixedly  rests  upon  him,  and  that  there  is  on  earth  no  spectacle  more 
glorious  to  the  Lord,  than  that  which  exhibits  the  perseverance  of 
his  saints  under  the  cross.  When  the  pious  cannot  see  the  Divine 
countenance  radiant  with  mercy,  their  distress  and  anxiety  makes 
them  say  that  God  has  veiled  his  countenance  and  retired  from 
earth  into  heaven.  "Thou  knowest  my  reproach,  my  shame,  and 
my  dishonour:  mine  adversaries  are  all  before  thee."  Thus  he 
exclaims.  It  is  one  of  our  most  potent  consolations  that  the  earthly 
struggles  of  the  pious  are  as  it  were  performed  on  a  stage,  while 
the  Eternal  with  his  angels  and  the  host  of  perfected  saints  are  the 
spectators. 

V.  21,  22.  As  elsewhere  in  the  case  of  David,  (cf.  ad.  Ps.  vi.) 
so  here  spiritual  conflict  had  affected  his  physical  frame.  The 
reproach  which  had  broken  his  heart,  also  crushed  his  body.  The 
ungodly  cannot  sympathize  with  the  spiritual  sufferings  of  the  ser- 
vants of  God,  because  they^are  not  familiar  with  them,  but  they 
are  able  to  perceive  and  sympathize  with  bodily  sufferings.  The 
humiliated  man  hoped  to  find  in  them  this  kind  of  sympathy.  But 
they  give  him  gall  for  meat  and  bitter  for  drink.  This  is  a  figura- 
tive, not  a  literal  expression.  (Cf.  Jer.  ix.  14;  xxiii.  15.)  The 
experience  of  David  as  an  imperfect  saint,  in  an  imperfect  and 
figurative  sense,  became  literally  fulfilled  in  Christ,  the  perfectly 
holy  one.  (Matt,  xxvii.  34.) 

V.  23 — 27.  Patient  endurance  in  the  heat  of  tribulation,  and 
the  forgiveness  of  our  neighbour's  offences,  are  our  duties,  while  it 
is  the  office  of  God  to  distribute  justice  among  the  obdurate.  The 
deeply  humiliated  man  had  abandoned  all  hope  that  the  hard  hearts 
of  his  adversaries  would  ever  relent.  He  therefore  invokes  the 
Divine  justice  to  cause  the  mischief  which  they  had  prepared  for 
others  to  fall  upon  their  own  head.  They  were  singing  at  the 


292  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

carousing  table  while  the  servant  of  God  fasted  and  wept :  so  shall 
the  table  of  their  delight,  where  they  were  sure  of  peace,  become 
their  snare.  They  had  abused  their  eyes  to  make  them  run  through 
the  land  for  the  destruction  of  the  saints  of  God :  so  their  eyes 
shall  be  darkened.  They  had  abused  their  strength  to  strike  down 
the  godly :  so  they  shall  tremble  for  fear,  that  their  loins  shake. 
(Nahum  ii.  10;  Isa.  xxi.  3.)  They  had  felt  themselves  secure  in 
their  palaces,  (Ps.  xlix.  12:)  so  their  houses  shall  become  desolate. 
For  the  hand  of  God  had  smitten  the  pious ;  but  they  delighted  in 
it,  and  boasted  as  their  doings  what  God  had  brought  about. 

V.  28,  29.  It  is  the  curse  of  sin  to  beget  new  sin:  so  the 
poisonous  root  in  them  shall  display  all  its  fibres,  but  the  justifica- 
tion of  God  remain  to  the  honest  in  heart,  unto  whom  it  is  pro- 
mised. Sin  is  remitted  only  where  it  is  acknowledged,  but  where 
it  is  denied  it  will  be  punished.  Those  who  carry  death  in  their 
heart,  so  that  the  mouldering  odour  issues  from  their  mouths,  shall 
find  no  place  in  the  book  of  the  living! 

V.  30 — 34.  When  God  shall  arise,  who  has  said  that  he 
"resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace  to  the  humble ;"  and  "for 
the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will 
I  arise,"  (Ps.  xii.  6,)  and  verify  his  word  this  time :  then  will  the 
sufferer  bring  his  offerings — not  such  as  others  bring — not  the  gifts 
which  are  offered  with  hands,  but  those  which  are  offered  with  the 
heart,  a  song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  out  of  a  full  heart.  Then 
shall  not  only  his  own  cause  be  triumphant,  but  there  shall  be  a 
universal  triumph  of  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  God. 
Men  are  most  prone  to  favour  the  mighty  and  the  rich.  God 
adopts  a  divine  method;  and  he  whose  throne  is  in  the  heaven  of 
heavens  chiefly  delights  in  those  who  are  poor  and  of  a  contrite 
spirit,  and  tremble  at  his  word.  (Isa.  Ixvi.  2;  Ps.  cxlvii.  10,  11.) 
The  term  "  prisoner"  should  be  interpreted  of  every  kind  of  afflic- 
tion. (Lam.  iii.  34;  cf.  Ps.  Ixviii.  7,  and  ad.  Ps.  xiv.  7;  Ixxix.  11.) 

V.  35 — 37.  When  Israel  was  in  the  furnace  of  tribulation, 
they  applied  to  their  hearts  this  prayer  of  David.  They  were  then 
poor  and  imprisoned;  they  prayed  in  the  words  of  David,  and  like 
David  were  heard.  Hence  this  addition  to  the  prayer  of  David 
which  was  probably  sung  by  a  chorus. 


PSALM  LXX. 

THIS  is  a  portion  of  Psalm  xl.  (v.  14 — 18,)  which  probably  used 
to  be  prayed  by  itself  in  the  time  of  the  Babylonish  captivity. 


PSALM   LXXI.  293 


PSALM   LXXI. 

A  DIGNITARY  (v.  21)  rich  in  eventful  experience  (v.  7)  supplicates 
in  old  age,  (v.  9. 17,)  and  after  a  season  in  which  the  whole  nation 
had  experienced  many  and  great  troubles,  (v.  20,)  the  Lord  to  pro- 
tect him  by  his  mighty  hand,  since  impious  enemies  aim  even  at  his 
life,  (v.  10,  11.)  The  mild  and  amiable  language  of  an  .old  man, 
who  is  resigned  to  and  happy  in  G-od,  pervades  this  psalm.  After 
a  short  sigh  (v.  1 — 3)  he  recollects  as  motives  for  confidence,  his 
many  wonderful  deliverances  and  experiences  from  his  earliest 
childhood,  (v.  4 — 8,)  his  helpless  old  age,  (v.  9,)  and  the  wicked 
arrogance  of  his  enemies,  (v.  10,  11.)  He  will  not  abandon  hope, 
but  trust  continually,  hoping  to  be  preserved  to  be  enabled  to  pub- 
lish to  his  children  and  grandchildren  the  strength  and  power  of 
the  Lord,  (v.  14 — 19.)  He  has  shared  the  humiliation  of  his 
nation,  but  trusts  to  share  their  elevation,  and  to  see  the  return  of 
former  days  of  greatness,  (v.  20,  21.)  He  abandons  himself  to  the 
confident  expectation  to  still  glorify  his  Lord  in  songs  and  with  the 
psaltery,  (v.  22—24.) 

1  TN  thee,  0  LORD,  do  I  put  my  trust: 
JL     Let  me  never  be  put  to  confusion. 

2  Deliver  me  in  thy  righteousness,  and  cause  me  to  escape : 
Incline  thine  ear  unto  me,  and  save  me. 

3  Be  thou  my  strong  habitation,  whereunto  I  may  con- 

tinually resort: 

Thou  hast  promised  to  save  me ; 
For  thou  art  my  rock  and  my  fortress. 

4  Deliver  me,  0  my  God,  out  of  the  hand  of  the  wicked, 
Out  of  the  hand  of  the  unrighteous  and  cruel  man. 

5  For  thou  art  my  hope,  0  LORD  GOD  : 
Thou  art  my  trust  from  my  youtE. 

6  By  thee  have  I  been  holden  up  from  the  womb : 
Thou  art  he  that  took  me  out  of  my  mother's  bowels  r* 
My  praise  shall  be  continually  of  thee. 

7  I  am  as  a  wonder  unto  many ; 
For  thou  art  my  strong  refuge. 

8  Let  my  mouth  be  filled  with  thy  praise, 
And  with  thy  honour  all  the  day. 

9  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time  of  old  age ; 
Forsake  me  not  when  my  strength  faileth. 

*  Or,  "Thou  art  my  benefactor  from  my  mother's  womb." 
25* 


294  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS." 

10  For  mine  enemies  speak  against  me; 

And  they  that  lay  wait  for  my  soul  take  counsel  together, 

11  Saying,  "God  hath  forsaken  him: 

Persecute  and  take  him ;  for  there  is  none  to  deliver  him.'9 

12  0  God,  be  not  far  from  me : 

0  my  God,  make  haste  for  my  help. 

13  Let  them  be  confounded  and  consumed 
That  are  adversaries  to  my  soul; 

Let  them  be  covered  with  reproach  and  dishonour 
That  seek  my  hurt. 

14  But  I  will  hope  continually, 

And  will  yet  praise  thee  more  and  more. 

15  My  mouth  shall  show  forth  thy  righteousness 
And  thy  salvation  all  the  day ; 

For  I  know  not  the  numbers  thereof. 

16  I  will  go  in  the  strength  of  the  LORD  GOD  ;* 

1  will  make  mention  of  thy  righteousness,  even  of  thine  only. 

17  0  God,  thou  hast  taught  me  from  my  youth : 
And  hitherto  have  declared  thy  wondrous  works. 

18  Now  also  when  I  am  old  and  greyheaded, 
0  God,  forsake  me  not; 

Until  I  have  showed  thy  strength  unto  this  generation, 
And  thy  power  to  every  one  that  is  to  come. 

19  Thy  righteousness  also,  0  God,  is  very  high, 

Who  hast  done  great  things :  0  God,  who  is  like  unto  thee ! 

20  Thou,  which  hast  showed  us  great  and  sore  troubles, 
'Shalt  quicken  us  again, 

And  shalt  bring  us  up  again  from  the  depths  of  the  earth. 

21  Thou  shalt  increase  my  greatness, 
And  comfort  me  on  every  side. 

22  I  will  also  praise  thee  with  the  psaltery, 
Even  thy  faithfulness,  0  my  God : 
Unto  thee  will  I  sing  with  the  harp, 

0  thou  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

23  My  lips  shall  greatly  rejoice  when  I  sing  unto  thee; 
And  my  soul  which  thou  hast  redeemed. 

24  My  tongue  also  shall  talk  of  thy  righteousness  all  the 

day  long : 

For  they  are  confounded,  for  they  are  brought  unto 
shame,  that  seek  my  hurt. 

*  Or,  "I  come  before  the  Lord  with  the  praise  of  his  power." 


PSALM  LXXI.  295 

V.  1 — 3.  The  old  map,  cast  down  by  the  visitations  of  Divine 
providence,  appears  before  his  God.  He  is  supported  by  the  pro- 
mise of  the  Lord,  that  those  who  trust  in  him  shall  never  be  put  to 
confusion,  and  his  faith,  confirmed  by  the  experience  of  his  whole 
life,  that  the  Lord  is  indeed  a  rock  and  a  fortress. 

V.  4 — 8.  He  has  a  solid  foundation — the  experience  of  a  long 
life.  He  has  clung  to  faith  and  hope  throughout  the  entire  period 
of  his  existence — even  from  his  youth,  where  lightsomeness  presents 
so  powerful  an  obstacle  to  their  exertion.  His  experience  is  of  an 
extraordinary  kind — he  is  as  a  wonder  unto  many,  and  the  excellence 
of  his  experience  arises  from  having  sought  in  the  Lord  his  only 
refuge.  He  did  not  like  most  men  recognize  the  hand  of  God  only 
when  in  an  extraordinary  manner  it  became  manifest  in  life;  but  his 
eye  of  faith  regards  the  ordinary  works  of  God  as  miracles.  The 
translation  from  his  mother's  womb  to  the  light  of  day  is  to  him  an 
object  of  praise.  (Ps.  xxii.  10, 11.)  And  really  is  not  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  embryo  in  its  narrow  confines  a  miracle  ?  is  it  not  a  pledge 
simultaneous  with  man's  growing  into  being",  of  our  after  experience 
in  life,  that  we  have  a  God  "  who  bringeth  us  out  of  death  to  light  1" 
(Psalm  Ixviii.  21.)  Is  not  the  reason  of  our  finding  so  little  to  praise 
to  be  sought  in  our  having  no  eyes  for  his  daily  miracles?  The 
Psalmist  has  eyes  for  the  daily  miracles  of  the  Lord — and  therefore 
his  mouth  is  daily  full  of  the  praise  of  the  Lord. 

F.  9 — 13.  If  God  did  help  in  the  time  of  our  youth  and  man- 
hood, when  our  own  strength  aided  us  to  overcome  many  difficulties, 
how  much  more  will  his  strength  deliver  us  when  ours  is  gone. 
Especially  when  the  wicked  challenge  his  mighty  arm.  For  God 
will  never  suffer  it  to  be  said  that  he  forsakes  those  who  all  their 
life  long  have  not  forsaken  him. 

F.  14,  15.  But  whatever  may  happen,  the  Psalmist  will  not 
cease  to  persevere  even  in  the  night  of  tribulation.  "Though  unable 
to  proclaim  the  salvation  of  God  as  the  result  of  actual  present  expe- 
rience, he  does  it  by  faith  and  hope.  He  is  sure  that  the  con- 
tinuous flow  of  his  most  ardent  praise  is  always  greatly  surpassed 
by  his  salvation. 

F.  16.  Weak  in  himself,  his  faith  assures  him  of  strength 
through  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God.  And  as  those  who  wait 
upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength  and  mount  up  with  wings 
as  eagles,  so  the  old  man  is  seen  walking  in  that  strength  which 
comes  from  above.  The  praise  which  youth  bestows  on  earthly 
goods,  because  still  unacquainted  with  their  insufficiency,  lies  far 
behind  him.  The  praise  which  manhood  in  the  proud  conscious- 
ness of  its  own  strength  bestows  on  the  strength  of  man,  he  has 
seen  turned  to  shame.  Of  all  things  which  men  are  wont  to  praise 
in  old  age,  one  only  is  left,  as  praiseworthy — the  righteousness  and 


296  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

goodness  of  the  Lord*  This  is  the  proper  employment  of  old  age 
— the  supports  of  earth  must  diminish  in  our  estimate  in  the  measure 
as  we  recede  from  them. 

Y.  17 19.  He  regards  it  as  the  chief  concern  of  his  life  to 

proclaim  the  wondrous  works  of  God :  if  spared  any  longer  on  earth, 
that  shall  be  the  end  of  his  life.  Are  there  better  preachers  of  the 
works  of  God  to  be  found  than  hoary  parents  in  the  circle  of  their 
children,  or  grandparents  in  that  of  their  grandchildren? 

7.  20,  21.  The  public  sufferings  of  the  nation  seem  to  have 
brought  low  into  the  dust  his  greatness;  but  he  hopes  to  share  the 
elevation  of  his  people. 

F.  22 — 24.  We  think  it  a  lovely  sight  to  see  an  old  man  spend 
his  days  in  singing  the  praise  of  God  with  trembling  lips  to  the 
notes  of  the  harp.  And  there  is  no  more  beauteous  sight  to  God — 
and  the  notes  of  that  harp  sound  up  to  the  highest  heavens.  Faith 
did  inspire  the  pious  old  man  with  his  confidence;  his  future  songs 
of  praise  become  therefore  the  foundation  of  his  hope. 


PSALM  LXXIL 

AN  easy  and  lively  flowing  song,  which  contains  a  prayer  for  the 
righteous  and  merciful  protection  of  a  king  and  the  blessing  of  his 
people,  for  his  acknowledgment  by  the  whole  world  and  the  eternal 
duration  of  his  kingdom.  As  the  psalm  refers  to  the  future,  ife 
must  either  have  been  composed  at  an  earthly  monarch's  accession 
to  the  throne  or  apply  to  a  future  king;  but  the  promises  here  made 
are  by  far  too  lofty  and  great  to  be  even  in  the  flight  of  poetic  ima- 
gination applicable  to  a  king.  A  poet  speaks,  indeed,  in  Psalm 
Ixxxix.  37,  38,  of  David  in  terms  similar  to  v.  5  and  17;  but  while 
there  eternal  duration  and  government  are  promised  to  the  posterity 
of  David,  eternal  dominion  and  the  homage  of  the  heathen  are  pro- 
mised here  to  the  king  himself.  Again,  in  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  26,  a 
kingdom  is  promised  to  David  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
Euphrates,  which  he  really  obtained.  The  king  in  this  psalm,  how- 
ever, shall  reign  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  (Zech.  ix. 
10;  Micah  v.  3,)  language  perfectly  analogous  to  the  expressions 
of  the  prophets  respecting  Messiah.  There  is,  indeed,  a  great 
probability  that  Zechariah  the  prophet  had  the  present  prediction 
before  him.  As,  moreover,  the  title  ascribes  this  psalm  to  Solomon, 

*  The  word  "righteousness"  always  equals  in  the  Psalms  "integrity," 
and  is  therefore^equivalent  to  "faithfulness  and  lenity."— Cf.  ad.  Psalm 
v.  9. 


PSALM  LXXII.  297 

it  cannot  apply  to  any  other  king  than  Him  whom  Solomon  acknow- 
ledges as  his  superior,  and  whom  David  called  "his  Lord/'  (Ps. 
ex.  1.)* 

The  theme  of  the  first  half  of  this  beautiful  psalm  is  taken  up 
and  completed  in  the  second.  V.  1 — 4  celebrate  the  righteousness, 
v.  5 — 11  the  fulness  of  blessing  and  glory  of  the  king;  v.  12 — 14 
repeat  the  praise  of  the  righteousness  and  mercy,  and  v.  15 — 17 
of  the  blessing  and  glory  of  his  government. 


A 


PSALM  of  Solomon. 


1  Give  the  king  thy  judgments,  0  God, 
And  thy  righteousness  unto  the  king's  son. 

2  That  he  may  judge  the  people  with  righteousness, 
And  thy  poor  with  judgment. 

3  Let  the  mountains  bring  peace  to  the  people, 
And  the  little  hills,  by  righteousness. 

4  He  shall  judge  the  poor  of  the  people, 
He  shall  save  the  children  of  the  needy, 
And  shall  break  in  pieces  the  oppressor. 

5  They  shall  fear  thee  as  long  as  the  sun  and  moon  endure, 
Throughout  all  generations. 

6  He  shall  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass: 
As  showers  that  water  the  earth. 

7  In  his  days  shall  the  righteous  flourish; 

And  abundance  of  peace  so  long  as  the  moon  endureth. 

8  He  shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea, 
And  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

9  They  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  shall  bow  before  him ; 
And  his  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust. 

10  The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents : 
The  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts. 

11  Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down  before  him : 
All  nations  shall  serve  him. 

12  For  he  shall  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth; 
The  poor  also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper. 

13  He  shall  spare  the  poor  and  needy, 
And  shall  save  the  souls  of  the  needy. 

14  He  shall  redeem  their  soul  from  deceit  and  violence: 
And  precious  shall  their  blood  be  in  his  sight. 

*  The  Ixx.  renders  the  ^  of  the  title,  "Concerning  Solomon,"  but  they 

do  it  in  violation  of  the  renderings  of  all  the  other  titles.     This  psalm  is 
referred  to  Messiah  by  Rosenmuller,  Hengstenberg,  Umbreit,  KOster. 


298  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

15  And  they  shall  live,  and  to  him  shall  be  given  of  the 

gold  of  Sheba : 

Prayer  also  shall  be  made  for  him  continually ; 
And  daily  shall  he  be  praised. 

16  There  shall  be  an  abundance  of  corn  in  the  earth  up  to 

the  top  of  the  mountains : 
The  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon : 
And  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass  of  the  earth. 

17  His  name  shall  endure  for  ever : 

His  name  shall  be  continued  as  long  as  the  sun : 
And  men  shall  be  blessed  in  him : 
All  nations  shall  call  him  blessed. 

18  Blessed  be  the  LORD  God,  the  God  of  Israel, 
Who  only  doeth  wondrous  things. 

19  And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for  ever : 

And  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory.    Amen, 
and  Amen. 

20  The  prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  are  ended. 

F.  1 — 4.  The  glory  of  the  Almighty,  whom  Israel  praises,  be- 
cause "he  executeth  judgment  and  righteousness  in  Jacob/' 
(Psalm  xcix.  4,)  refers  to  him  who  is  his  visible  representative  on 
earth.  So  Isaiah  says  of  Messiah,  that  he  shall  order  and  establish 
his  kingdom  with  judgment  and  with  justice  from  henceforth  even 
for  ever,  (Isa.  ix.  7;)  and  that  "with  righteousness  shall  he  judge 
the  poor,  and  reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth/' 
(Isa.  xi.  4.)  As  the  Eternal  sways  the  sceptre  of  righteousness 
for  the  best  of  his  oppressed  followers  on  earth,  so  he  has  instituted 
his  Anointed  One  to  conquer  the  earth  for  the  meek.  (Matt.  v.  5.) 
The  people  referred  to  in  v.  2 — 11  are  none  other  than  the  true 
people  and  Israel  of  God,  (see  ad.  Psalm  xiv.  4;  Ixxiii.  1;)  the 
peace  and  salvation  of  that  people  shall  spring  up  in  so  rich  a  pro- 
fusion, that  they  shall  reach  from  the  valleys  to  the  high  moun- 
tains, and  be  seen  from  every  quarter. 

F.  5 — 8.  The  Psalmist  now  addresses  in  lively  measures  the 
king  himself,  announcing  to  him  the  endless  duration  of  his  govern- 
ment. Christian  knowledge  and  indeed  the  sublime  anticipations 
of  the  prophets  (Isa.  Ix.  19,  20)  regard  the  present  form  of  the 
earth  and  the  skies  with  their  starry  hosts  as  transient,  but  the 
Psalmist  expresses  the  common  view,  which  apprehends  the  glori- 
ous stars  as,  of  greater  duration  than  the  earth.  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  37.) 
As  mild  rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  so  shall  the  earth  prosper  and 
flourish,  when  he  shall  open  the  flood-gates  of  his  blessing — even 
that  earth  which  shall  be  inhabited  by  none  but  the  generation  of 
the  righteous.  The  extension  of  Israel  had  been  promised  to 


PSALM  LXXIII.  299 

reach  from  Euphrates  to  the  Mediterranean,  (Dent.  xi.  24;  cf. 
Gen.  xv.  18,)  nor  did  David's  kingdom  extend  any  further, 
(Psalm  Ixxxix.  26;)  but  these  borders  expand  before  the  prophet's 
vision,  "He  shall  have  dominion  from  sea  to  sea/'  i.  e.  to  the 
Indian  main.  (Amos  viii.  12.)  Yerse  11  prohibits  the  narrowing 
of  these  frontiers. 

V.  9 — 11.  The  most  uncivilized,  the  most  distant,  and  most 
opulent  nations  shall  pay  their  homage  to  Him;  the  barbarous 
inhabitants  of  the  desert,  the  remote  Isles  of  the  west,  and  the 
kings  of  rich  Arabia  (Sheba)  and  Ethiopia  (Seba)  shall  lick  the 
dust  of  his  feet,  i.  e.  they  shall  lie  prostrate  in  the  attitude  of 
adoring  homage,  and  give  an  effective  expression  of  their  homage 
by  the  multitude  of  their  gifts,  as  Isaiah  has  declared  it  in  sublime 
measures.  (Isa.  Ix.  6 — 9;  Psalm  Ixviii.  30;  xcvi.  7,  8;  Ixxvi.  12.) 

V.  12 — 14.  The  whole  world  shall  acknowledge  that  he  is  a  king 
of  perfect  righteousness,  a  Saviour  of  the  poor  and  needy.  (Cf. 
Ps.  cxvi.  15,  and  ad.  verse  14.) 

F.  15 — 17.  The  plenitude  of  the  blessings  he  shall  bring,  lies 
condensed  in  the  term,  "They  shall  live."  They  shall  offer  the 
choicest  gifts.  It  will  be  their  everlasting  and  blessed  occupation 
to  praise  and  pray  for  him  before  God.  (Rev.  v.  8 — 10.)  It  has 
been  asked  how  the  poor  and  needy  could  offer  gifts  of  the  gold  of 
Arabia  to  their  king.  On  the  one  hand  verse  10  cannot  be  under- 
stood literally,  but  refers  to  the  spiritual  gifts,  in  the  same  way  as 
Isa.  Ix.  17  cannot  be  literally  explained:  on  the  other  hand  be  it 
observed  that  the  poor  and  needy  shall  be  redeemed  and  enriched 
by  this  king :  they  belong  to  the  righteous,  who  according  to  verse 
7,  shall  flourish,  and  for  whom  according  to  verse  16,  the  earth 
shall  unfold  her  riches.  The  fulness  of  temporal  and  spiritual 
blessings  in  the  completed  kingdom  of  God  is  described  in  figures 
similar  to  those  which  we  have  noticed  in  Psalm  Ixvii.  7.  So  is 
the  fulness  of  the  land,  for  it  shall  shake  there  as  on  the  heights  of 
Lebanon,  and  the  fulness  of  the  cities,  in  which  numerous  inhabi- 
tants shall  stream  like  a  river.  (Mich.  ii.  12.)  Then  shall  the 
ancient  blessing  of  Abraham  (Gen.  xxii.  18;  xxvi.  4)  be  fulfilled, 
for  in  this  descendant  of  Abraham  shall  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed,  and  him  shall  they  praise. 

V.  18 — 20  contain  a  praise,  which  announces  the  end  of  the 
second  book  of  the  Psalms. 


PSALM  LXXIII. 

A  PSALM  of  comfort  at  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  like  Psalms 
xxxvii.  xxxix.  xlix. 

The  chain  of  thoughts  which  are  named  at  the  beginning  had 


300  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

been  long  before  the  Psalmist's  mind:  the  sufferings  of  the  godly, 
and  the  undisturbed  prosperity  of  the  wicked  who  regard  neither 
heaven  nor  earth,  the  temptation  to  which  the  godly  are  exposed, 
when  God  seems  to  be  unfaithful  to  his  promises,  (v.  2 — 14.) 
Appearances  spoke  as  it  were  with  conquering  force,  but  if  the 
Psalmist  had  believed  in  them,  he  would  virtually  have  denied  that 
which  he  esteemed  far  more  precious  and  certain  than  any  appear- 
ances— he  would  have  become  a  traitor  to  the  generation  of  the 
children  of  his  God,  (v.  15.)  He  went  into  the  sanctuary  of  his 
soul  to  seek  the  solution  of  the  enigma  with  Him  who  knows  how 
to  solve  any  and  every  enigma  of  life,  (v.  17.)  In  the  light  of  this 
revelation  he  sees  how  foolish  and  ignorant  he  had  been  in  having 
given  scope  to  those  doubts.  "The  shadow  image  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  wicked  is  gone  when  they  awake.  But  thou  guidest 
me  here  below  by  thy  right  hand,  and  will  ultimately  receive  me  to 
glory."  Thus  spake  God  in  the  sanctuary  of  his  soul.  The  Psalm- 
ist as  if  awaking  from  his  deep  meditation,  (Psalm  cxxxix.  18,) 
and  saving  himself  from  the  multitude  of  his  thoughts,  (Psalm 
xciv.  10,)  sets  the  result  of  all  his  struggles  at  the  head  of  his 
song.  "Yet  God  is  good  to  Israel."  The  storm  being  overpast, 
the  calm  which  ensued  in  his  soul  was  the  brighter.  He  praises 
God  with  a  strength  and  intensity  hardly  equalled  in  any  monu- 
ment of  antiquity,  as  that  good  which  far  excels  all  others,  (v.  25 
—28.)* 

A    PSALM  of  Asaph. 

1  YET  GOD  is  GOOD  TO  ISRAEL, 

EVEN  TO  SUCH  AS  ARE  or  A  CLEAN  HEART. 

2  But  as  for  me  my  feet  were  almost  gone ; 
My  steps  had  well  nigh  slipped. 

3  For  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish, 

When  I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked. 

4  For  they  have  no  pains  till  their  death : 
But  their  strength  is  firm. 

5  They  are  not  in  trouble  as  other  men; 
Neither  are  they  plagued  like  other  men; 

*  How  beautiful  is  this  psalm.  A  brief  maxim,  the  result  of  many  medi- 
tations, begins  and  ends  the  poem.  He  reverts  in  a  quick  and  unobserved 
manner  to  his  position,  describes  his  error,  and  having  set  this  picture  in 
the  fullest  light,  changes  the  song.  He  is  ushered  into  the  council  of  des- 
tinies, and  regards  himself  as  a  brute  in  his  former  judgments.  New  vows 
to  God,  as  yet  proportioned  to  the  former  figure  of  doubt,  rise  to  the  warmest 
sentiment,  till  another  maxim  concludes  the  song,  A  beautiful  psalm  of 
instruction  as  to  matter  and  arrangement. — Herder. 


PSALM   LXXIII.  301 

6  Therefore  pride  compasseth  them  about  as  a. chain: 
Violence  covereth  them  as  a  garment. 

7  Their  eyes  stand  out  with  fatness : 
The  thoughts  of  their  hearts  transgress. 

8  They  are  corrupt,  and  speak  wickedly  concerning  oppres- 

sion. 
They  speak  loftily. 

9  They  set  their  mouth  against  the  heavens, 
And  their  tongue  walketh  through  the  earth. 

10  Therefore  his  people  return  hither: 

And  waters  of  a  full  cup  are  wrung  out  to  them. 

11  And  they  say,  "How  doth  God  know? 
And  is  their  knowledge  in  the  Most  High? 

12  Behold,  these  are  the  ungodly,  who  prosper  in  the  world : 
They  increase  in  riches. 

13  Verily  I  have  cleansed  my  heart  in  vain, 
And  washed  my  hands  in  innocency. 

14  For  all  the  day  long  have  I  been  plagued, 
And  chastened  every  morning." 

15  If  I  had  said,  I  will  speak  like  they, 

Behold,  I  should  have  been  a  traitor  to  the  generation  of 
thy  children. 

16  When  I  thought  to  know  this, 
It  was  too  painful  for  me ; 

17  Until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of  God ; 
And  took  note  of  their  end. 

18  Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in  slippery  places; 
Thou  castedst  them  down  into  destruction. 

19  How  they  are  brought  into  desolation,  as  in  a  moment ! 
They  are  utterly  consumed  with  terrors. 

20  As  a  dream  when  one  awaketh; 

So,  0  Lord,  when  they  awake,  thou  shalt  despise  their 
image.* 

21  Thus  my  heart  was  grieved, 
And  I  was  pricked  in  my  reins. 

22  So  foolish  was  I  and  ignorant : 
I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee. 

23  Nevertheless  I  am  continually  with  thee. 
Thou  hast  holden  me  by  my  right  hand. 

24  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy  counsel^ 
And  afterward  receive  me  to  glory. 

*  Or,  "When  thou  wakest  them." 
26 


302  COMMENTARY   ON  THE  PSALMS. 

25  Whom  have  I  heaven  but  thee  f 

And  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  but  thee. 

26  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth : 

But  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion 
for  ever. 

27  For,  lo,  they  that  are  from  thee  shall  perish : 

Thou  shalt  destroy  all  them  that  go  a  whoring  from  thee. 

28  But  it  is  good  for  me  to  draw  near  to  God : 
I  have  put  my  trust  in  the  Lord  GOD, 
That  I  may  declare  all  thy  works. 

V.  1.  We  all  confess  to  the  indubitable  article  of  faith,  that 
God  governs  the  world.  How  different  would  our  perseverance  in 
affliction  be  were  we  indubitably  to  believe  it.  But  affliction  is 
generally  accompanied  by  dejection,  dejection  issues  in  doubt, 
doubt  gives  rise  to  mental  conflict;  the  struggle  gets  intense,  but 
the  multitude  of  the  heavy  and  gloomy  thoughts  of  the  heart  must 
ultimately  yield  the  bright  and  subnme  result  to  which  Asaph 
gives  expression,  "Yet  God  is  good  unto  Israel!"  Is  it  possible 
that  a  mind  so  intimately  united  with  God  as  that  which  speaks 
in  verses  25,  26.  28,  should  ever  murmur  against  him?  Let  every 
man  become  a  liar,  that  God  be  true.  (Rom.  iii.  4.)  It  should  be 
noticed  that  the  Old  Testament  saints  distinguished,  like  Paul, 
(Rom.  ix.  6;  Gal.  vi.  16;  cf.  ad.  Psalm  cxxv.  5;  cxxviii.  6;  also 
ad.  Ps.  xxiv.  6;  xxv.  22,)  between  Israel  after  the  flesh  and  Israel 
after  the  spirit.  Tlie  Israel  of  whom  the  Psalmist  speaks  are  such 
as  are  of  a  clean  heart. 

V.  2 — 5.  On  measuring  the  prosperity  of  men  by  their  outward 
successes,  we  shall  find  that  just  those  who  disregard  justice  and 
the  laws  of  God  are,  if  not  always,  yet  very  often,  in  prosperous 
circumstances,  and  the  haughty  show  which  they  make  of  their 
wealth  is  the  touch-stone  on  which  the  faith  of  the  godly  is  to  be 
tried.  The  distributive  justice  of  God  was  in  days  of  old  as  it  is 
-.  now,  visible  in  the  history  of  a  nation  as  a  whole,  but  not  always 
in  the  life  of  individuals.  The  outward  prosperity  of  the  ungodly 
ought  never  to  be  a  stumbling-block  to  those  who,  in  their  commu- 
nion with  God,  have  tasted  that  there  is  nothing  on  earth  or  in 
heaven  which  can  exceed  the  possession  of  himself.  Not  even  in 
those  rare  instances,  when  having  stifled  the  scruples  of  conscience 
as  well  as  the  appetite  of  their  hearts  for  something  better,  the 
ungodly  deem  themselves  happy  in  their  own  opinion.  They  are 
acquainted  only  with  what  they  have,  not  with  what  they  are 
deprived  of.  But  he  who  knows  what  they  are  deprived  of  cannot 
well  envy  them.  In  the  measure  as  we  are  envious,  we  lack  com- 
munion with  God  in  our  hearts.  For  where  that  exists  in  power, 
who  would  exchange  it  for  the  prosperity  of  a  thousand  worlds? 


PSALM   LXXIII.  303 

F.  6 — 9.  Pride  and  violence  are  sure  to  arise  when  the  chil- 
dren of  the  world  have  become  secure  in  their  prosperity,  for  they 
only  know  themselves  as  the  masters  of  their  happiness.  Pride 
becomes  their  ornament,  (Prov.  i.  9,)  and  oppression,  like  a  gar- 
ment, accompanies  them  everywhere.  Their  faces  express  volup- 
tuousness; the  images  of  their  heart  "  overpass  the  deeds  of  the 
wicked/'  (Jer.  v.  27,  28.)  Their  words  are  the  words  of  reproach, 
their  works  the  works  of  oppression :  there  is  nothing  in  heaven  and 
nothing  on  earth  which  they  do  not  consider  as  under  their  control. 
Is  it  likely  that  they  who  trace  not  their  own  strength  back  to  God 
should  be  afraid  of  his  strength,  and  that  they  who  are  not  afraid 
of  the  strength  of  God  should  fear  right  and  law  on  earth  ? 

F.  10 — 14.  Temptations  of  that  kind  may,  however,  though 
transiently  only,  cause  the  elect  of  God  to  hesitate.  Though  doubt 
strike  no  roots  in  the  heart,  who  can  prohibit  the  thoughts  which 
pass  through  the  unguarded  mind  ?  We  hear  even  a  man  like 
Jeremiah  raise  a  doubting  complaint  to  Heaven  in  the  hour  of  temp- 
tation. "  Righteous  art  thou,  0  Lord,  when  I  plead  with  thee :  yet  let 
me  reason  the  case  with  thee :  wherefore  doth  the  way  of  the  wicked 
prosper?  Wherefore  are  all  they  happy  that  deal  very  treacher- 
ously? Thou  hast  planted  them,  yea,  they  have  taken  root:  they 
grow,  yea,  they  bring  forth  fruit;  thou  art  near  in  their  mouth  and 
far  from  their  reins.  But  thou,  O  Lord,  knowest  me :  thou  hast 
seen  me  and  tried  my  heart  toward  thee."  (Jer.  xii.  1 — 3.)  It 
was  the  experience  of  Asaph  that  the  people  of  God  had  joined  the 
band  of  the  wicked  that  they  might  drink  in  abundance.  To  drink 
water  denotes  plentiful  enjoyment.  (Prov.  v.  15.)  The  heart  of 
man  undeniably  expects  at  the  hands  of  God  a  difference  between 
the  righteous  and  the  unrighteous;  else  it  cannot  believe  in  God. 
If  now  the  pious  leave  out  of  sight  that  the  march  of  Divine  jus- 
tice on  earth  is  often  very  gentle — indeed  so  gentle  that  human 
ears  can  hardly  hear  it:  that  here  below  is  the  time  of  long-suffer- 
ing, which  through  goodness  leadeth  to  repentance,  but  that  on 
that  account  the  day  of  wrath  shall  in  no  way  fail  to  come,  (Rom. 
ii.  4,  5 :)  if  the  pious  forget  these  things  they  are  liable  to  gloomy 
doubts  as  to  the  existence  of  a  God,  who  beholds  and  delights  in 
those  who  have  pure  hands  and  hearts :  such  doubts  are  generally 
followed  by  murmuring,  judging,  and  chiding  with  the  Governor 
of  the  world. 

F.  15 — 17.  The  tempter  approached  Asaph,  and  tried  to  infuse 
such  thoughts  into,  his  mind,  but  he  knew  the  meaning  of  the 
sweet  word  of  being  a  child  of  God.  To  become  a  traitor  to  the 
generation  of  his  children  is  to  him  the  most  terrible  of  thoughts. 
The  enjoyments  and  experiences  of  those  who  belong  to  that  gene- 
ration are  realities  which  bid  defiance  to  all  appearance,  and  keep 
the  heart  fixed  on  God,  even  when  the  thoughts  begin  to  roam  and 
the  mouth  to  wander.  He  found  it  a  hard  conflict :  he  had  thought 


304  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

and  wrestled.  This  caused  him  to  descend  to  that  deep  where  all 
the  riddles  of  life  are  solved :  at  the  deepest  foundation  of  his  heart 
was  the  sanctuary  of  his  communion  with  God.  He  forced  entrance 
into  that,  and  was  commanded  to  look  at  the  end. 

Y,  18 — 20.  However  firmly  established  in  their  own  eyes,  the 
soil  beneath  them  is  slippery.  When  we  open  our  eyes  at  day- 
break the  dream  of  the  night  is  vanished :  so  on  their  awaking  shall 
their  shadow-happiness  vanish.  When  our  faith  shall  become 
vision,  then  their  dreams  shall  be  like  foam. 

V.  21,  22.  How  foolish  do  grief  and  envy  at  so  unsubstantial  a 
prosperity  appear  in  the  light  of  this  reply ! 

F.  23,  24.  Concerning  himself  he  has  on  the  contrary  heard 
an  oracular  declaration,  which  is  an  ample  equivalent  for  every 
and  anything.  The  path  of  the  godly  may  be  slippery  and  rough, 
but  an  invisible  hand  will  hold  their  right  hand,  guide  them  with 
a  wise  counsel,  and  ultimately,  after  shame  and  wretchedness,  lead 
them  in  honour  and  glory  to  that  place,  where  they  shall  be 
received  by  Him  who  was  their  highest  good  on  earth. 

F.  25,  26.  Ought  not  man,  after  such  a  revelation,  to  collect 
all  the  love  which  hitherto  was  attached  to  the  creature,  and  give 
it  to  him  who  is  able  to  fill  the  void  x>f  hearts  throughout  eternity  ? 
After  such  a  solution  of  his  enigmas,  the  flames  of  Asaphvs  love  to 
God  begin  to  burn  so  brightly  in  his  heart,  that  they  absorb  every 
other.  He  has  felt  anew,  perhaps,  more  than  ever,  the  riches  of 
his  possession  in  his  God — he  declares  it  in  jubilant  language,  which 
reminds  one  of  the  Apostle's  triumphant  exclamation.  (Rom. 
viii.  33 — 38.)  The  blessing  of  the  nocturnal  hours  of  doubt  in  the 
case  of  God's  chosen  people  becomes  manifest  in  this,  that  when 
the  multitude  of  their  thoughts  have,  like  a  huge  heap  of  ashes, 
covered  the  flame  of  their  love  to  God  and  almost  extinguished  it, 
the  moment  will  arrive  when  faith  shall  blow  away  the  heap  of 
ashes,  and  the  flame  ascend  with  irresistible  force  to  heaven.  A 
man,  so  intimately  united  with  God,  as  Asaph  here  expresses  it, 
cannot  but  by  his  union  get  refreshed  in  body  and  mind;  yet  while 
he  with  the  clearest  consciousness  connects  the  possession  of  every 
bodily  and  spiritual  good  with  his  highest  possession,  he  feels  con- 
strained to  furnish  the  testimony,  that  whatever  may  be  called  goods 
is  as  nothing  to  him  beside  God. 

F.  27,  28.  They  who  know  no  other  life  than  that  of  this  earth 
shall  perish  and  go  into  eternal  death,  when  the  shadow  which  they 
regarded  as  the  substance  shall  have  ceased.  But  they  who  had 
that  life  and  that  joy  which  are  imperishable  in  death,  shall  con- 
tinue, and  the  declaration  of  his  works  shall  be  their  occupation 
for  ever  and  ever. 


PSALM  LXXIV.  305 


PSALM  LXXIV, 

A  PSALM,  composed  after  the  devastation  of  the  kingdom  of 
Judah  (B.  c.  588)  by  the  Chaldeans,  and  the  spoiling  and  burn- 
ing of  the  Temple.  Many  interpreters,  both  ancient  and  modern, 
have  thought  that  the  psalm  refers  to  the  profanation  and  spoiling 
of  the  Temple  which  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  king  of  Syria,  brought 
on  Israel  (B.  c..  167,)  and  which  is  mentioned  in  1  Mace.  i.  30, 
and  Josephus'  Archseol.  xii.  v.  4,  This  opinion  appears  to  receive 
a  striking  confirmation  from  v.  9,  which  declares  that  there  are  no 
more  prophets  in  the  land,*  and  speaks  of  the  erection  of  signs  in  the 
Temple^,  while  v.  8  seems  to  refers  to  the  synagogues,  which  were 
probably  built  after  the  time  of  the  exile.J  But  the  Book  of 
Psalms  was  long  before  that  time  incorporated  into  the  Jewish 
canon — it  can,  on  that  account,  contain  no  psalm  of  so  late  a  date. 
In  1  Mace.  vii.  17,  moreover,  Psalm  Ixxix.  3  is  quoted  as  Holy 
Writ.  Add  to  this,  that  the  king  of  Syria  did  profane  and  spoil 
the  Temple,  but  not  destroy  and  burn  it,§  and  in  spite  of  the 
detailed  account,  which  the  book  of  Maccabees  and  Josephus  give 
of  the  ravages  of  the  Syrians,  there  is  no  mention  made  of  the  burn- 
ing of  the  synagogues. 

As  an  introduction  to  those  psalms  which  refer  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  and  the  abduction  into  exile,  we  subjoin  a  brief 
view  of  the  prophetic  history  relative  to  that  solemn  judgment  of 
God. 

The  Lord,  to  whom  the  future  is  as  the  present,  had  early 
caused  to  be  published  as  warnings  what  he  had  determined  in  his 
council  concerning  Jerusalem.  Who  can  forbear  being  deeply 

*  The  complaint,  that  there  were  no  prophets,  was  made  in  the  days  of 
the  Maccabees,  for  prophecy  was  silent  from  Malachi  to  John  the  Baptist, 
t.  e.  for  four  hundred  years,  (vide  1  Mace.  ix.  27.) 

j-  Antiochus  Epiphanes  ordered  a  small  altar  for  idol  worship  to  be  built 
upon  the  altar  of  the  sanctuary,  (1  Mace.  i.  64.)  Modern  interpreters  have 
almost  of  one  accord  thought  that  this  passage  refers  to  a  statue  of  Jupiter 
Olympius,  which  had  been  erected  upon  the  altar,  but  Hengstenberg  with 
reference  to  v.  69,  has  rendered  the  incorrectness  of  that  view  indubitable. 
(See  Contrib.  to  the  Introd.  to  the  Old  Testament.  Vol.  i.  p.  186.) 

J  They  are  mentioned  in  Josephus  de  bello  Jud.  vii.  3. 

|  2  Mace.  i.  8;  viii.  83;  1  Mace.  iv.  38.  48.  Maurer  quotes  the  last 
verse  as  an  evidence  of  the  burning  of  the  Temple,  but  that  verse  must  be 
interpreted  by  those  passages  which  speak  of  the  burning  of  the  gates  only. 
It  is  conceivable  that  after  the  profanation  of  the  Temple,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  idol-altars  in  the  Temple,  many  alterations  took  place  in  the 
interior,  though  that  does  not  prove  the  burning  or  destruction  of  the 
entire  edifice. 
26* 


306  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

impressed  with  the  omniscience  of  God,  which  stretches  over  cen- 
turies, as  well  by  the  solemnity  of  Divine  justice,  on  reading  that 
immediately  after  the  building  of  the  Temple  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Solomon,  uttering  upwards  of  four  hundred  years  before  the 
destruction  the  threat,  "But  if  ye  shall  at  all  turn  from  following 
me,  ye  or  your  children,  and  will  not  keep  my  commandments  and 
my  statutes  which  I  have  set  before  you,  then  will  I  cut  off  Israel 
out  of  the  land  which  I  have  given  them:  and  this  house,  which  1 
have  hallowed  for  my  name,  will  least  out  of  my  sight:  and  Israel 
shall  be  a  proverb  and  a  byeword  among  all  people :  and  at  this 
house,  which  is  high,  every  one  that  passeth  by  it  shall  be  astonished 
and  shall  hiss;  and  they  shall  say,  Why  hath  the  Lord  done  thus 
unto  this  land,  and  to  this  house?"  (1  Kings  ix.  6,  7.)  Prophecy 
gets  more  explicit  and  definite  with  the  approach  of  the  threatened 
catastrophe.  Micah,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  pre- 
dicted more  than  one  hundred  years  before  the  event,  the  country 
to  which  Israel  should  be  carried.  "Be  in  pain  and  labour  to 
bring  forth,  0  daughter  of  Zion,  like  a  woman  in  travail :  for  now 
shalt  thou  go  forth  out  of  the  city,  and  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the 
field,  and  thou  shall  go  even  to  Babylon."  (Micah  iv.  10.)  Isaiah 
foretold,  in  the  reign  of  the  same  king  not  long  afterwards,  the 
same  event,  when  the  king  of  Babylon,  moved  by  the  mighty 
judgments  of  God  upon  Sennacherib,  had  sent  ambassadors  to 
Hezekiah,  (cf.  ad.  Ps.  xlviii.  10 — 12,)  and  Hezekiah,  vainly 
ambitious,  showed  them  his  treasures.  "Then  said  Isaiah  to 
Hezekiah,  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  of  hosts :  Behold  the  days 
come,  that  all  that  is  in  thine  house,  and  that  which  thy  fathers 
have  laid  up  in  store  until  this  day,  shall  be  carried  to  Babylon : 
nothing  shall  be  left,  saith  the  Lord/'-  (Isaiah  xxxix.  v.  6.)  Nor 
were  the  words  of  the  old  prophet  unremembered  one  hundred 
years  later,  when  Jeremiah,  persecuted  by  the  nation  on  account 
of  his  upbraidings,  referred  before  all  the  people  of  Judah  to  the 
words  of  Micah  (Jer.  xxvi.  18,)  the  prophet. .  As  the  days  of 
visitation  approached,  the  prophecies,  too,  became  more  bright  and 
overwhelming.  The  nation  had  to  experience  several  preludes  of 
the  final  catastrophe.  Jerusalem  appears  to  have  been  taken  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  as  early  as  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim,  again  in 
the  eleventh,*  when  youthful  Jeconiah,  his  mother,  and  wives, 
along  with  ten  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two  of  the  flower 
of  Israel,  were  carried  by  Nebuchadnezzar  to  Babylon.  (Cf.  Introd. 
ad.  Psalm  xliv.) 

In  Palestine,  Jeremiah,  the  man  of  grief  and  the  witness  of  God 

*  Cf.  Dan.  i.  1.  Hengstenb erg's  Contribut.  to  the  Introd.  to  the  Old 
Testament.  Vol.  i.  p.  152.  Keil  on  Chronicles,  pp.  24.  439;  and  Movers's 
Researches  on  the  Books  of  Chronicles,  p.  333. 


PSALM  LXXIV.  307 

to  an  apostate  race,  was  left  as  the  sole  holy  watchman  of  the 
house  and  people  of  God  in  the  midst  of  a  rebellious  generation  of 
false  prophets,  idolatrous  priests,  sanguinary  and  deluded  princes. 
He  had  received  the  divine  command  to  threaten  and  reprove,  or 
to  admonish  and  edify,  those  who  were  not  past  edifying,  in  the 
gloomy  days  which  were  about  to  set  in.  He  almost  uninterrupt- 
edly, and  with  the  most  definite  details,  predicted  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  captivity.  The  Lord  called  him  when  a 
youth  to  his  office.  He  had  a  presentiment  of  the  impending  evil 
days;  and  he  obeyed  the  Divine  call  not  without  strong  resistance 
from  within.  Immediately  after  his  call,  which  took  place  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  Josiah,  about  fifty  years  before  the  catastrophe,  at 
a  time  when  prof ound peace  and  prosperity  rested  upon  the  nation, 
he  had  a  vision  of  that  ultimate  visitation.  "  And  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  unto  me  the  second  time,  saying,  What  seest  thou  ? 
And  I  said,  I  see  a  seething  pot;  and  the  face  thereof  is  toward 
the  north.  Then  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  Out  of  the  north  an  evil 
shall  break  forth  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land.  For,  lo,  I 
will  call  all  the  families  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  north,  saith  the 
Lord;  and  they  shall  come,  and  they  shall  set  every  one  his  throne 
at  the  entering  of  the  gates  of  Jerusalem,  and  against  all  the  walls 
thereof  round  about,  and  against  all  the  cities  of  Judah."  (Jer.  i. 
13 — 15.)  A  brief  delay  of  peace  was  granted  up  to  the  death  of 
Josiah  (-j-609,)  the  much  mourned-for  king.  From  that  period 
the  nation,  under  Jehoiakim  and  Zedekiah,  rushed  into  ever-grow- 
ing destruction,  and  the  Lord  proclaimed  the  irrevocability  of  his 
judgment,  saying,  "  Though  Moses  and  Samuel  stood  before  me, 
yet  my  mind  could  not  be  toward  this  people:  cast  them  out  of  my 
sight,  and  let  them  go  forth."  (Jer.  xv.  1.)  Jehoiakim,  madly 
deluded,  cut  the  book  of  the  warning  prediction,  which  Jeremiah 
had  written,  into  pieces,  and  burnt  it  in  the  fire.  (Jer.  xxxvi.  22, 23.) 
He  destroyed  also  with  the  sword,  Uriah,  the  prophet,  who  had 
predicted  the  impending  calamity,  and  cast  his  corpse  into  the 
graves  of  the  common  people.  (Jer.  xxvi.  20 — 23.)  Jeremiah, 
though  surrounded  by  prison,  scourging,  cruelty,  and  peril  of 
death,  was,  according  to  the  promise  of  the  Lord,  (Jer.  i.  19,) 
miraculously  preserved  alive.  The  king's  vain  hope  was,  in  spite 
of  the  prophet's  admonition  to  the  contrary,  in  Egypt;  supported 
by  that  Gotten  tree  he  actually  ventured  to  revolt  against  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, to  whom  he  was  tributary.  The  king  of  the  Chalde- 
ans now  advanced  with  his  hosts,  took  Jerusalem,  carried  Jeco- 
niah,  eighteen  years  old,  who  had  ascended  the  throne  of  his 
father  Jehoiakim,  along  with  ten  thousand  of  the  noblest  amongst 
the  people,  to  Babylon,  instituted  Zedekiah,  his  uncle,  as  king, 
after  having  rendered  him  by  heavy  oaths  a  tributary  vassal  to 
Babylon.  Eight  years  afterwards  Zedekiah  violated  his  oaths — 
again  in  opposition  to  the  admonitions  of  the  prophet — trusting  in 


308  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  hope  of  aid  from  Egypt.  Lying  prophets  proclaimed  predic- 
tions which  fell  in  with  popular  likings,  e>  g.  that  the  captivity  of 
Jeconiah  should  soon  terminate — they  thus  fanned  the  delusion, 
and  furnished  the  most  undeniable  evidence  that  the  prophecies  of 
Jeremiah  and  other  true  prophets  were  not  the  results  of  human 
inspiration.  (Of.  the  remarkable  28th  chapter  of  Jeremiah.)  The 
armies  of  the  angry  king  of  the  Chaldeans  once  more  invaded 
Palestine,  laid  waste  the  provincial  towns,  and  besieged  Jerusalem. 
Despite  the  bonds  and  chains  which  fell  to  his  reward,  Jeremiah 
prophesied,  saying,  "Behold,  I  will  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of 
the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  take  it :  and  Zedekiah  king  of 
Judah  shall  not  escape  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans,  but  shall 
surely  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  shall 
speak  with  him  mouth  to  mouth,  and  his  eyes  shall  behold  his  eyes, 
and  he  shall  lead  Zedekiah  to  Babylon,  and  there  shall  he  be  until 
I  visit  him."  (Jer.  xxxii.  3 — 5;  xxxiv.  2,  3.)  The  strong  city 
resisted  for  eighteen  months.  At  one  period  a  ray  of  hope  was 
seen.  The  hosts  of  Egypt  advanced  to  help,  and  the  Chaldeans 
retired  from  Jerusalem  to  meet  them.  Zedekiah  sent  a  message 
to  the  prophet :  "  Pray  now  unto  the  Lord  our  God  for  us."  This 
was  the  last  refuge  of  their  hope.  The  word  of  the  prophet  once 
more  declared,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel:  Thus 
shall  ye  say  to  the  king  of  Judah,  that  sent  you  unto  me  to  inquire 
of  me:  behold,  Pharaoh's  army,  which  is  come  forth  to  help  you, 
shall  return  to  Egypt  into  their  own  land.  And  the  Chaldeans 
shall  come  again  and  fight  against  this  city,  and  take  it  and  burn 
it  with  fire."  (Jer.  xxxvii.  7,  8.)  The  Chaldeans  returned,  and 
it  is  terrible  to  say — while  the  foe  stood  at  the  gates,  while  schism, 
famine,  and  pestilence  raged  within  the  city,  the  people  instead  of 
turning  to  the  living  God,  as  their  only  refuge,  began  to  worship 
idols.  Ezekiel,  far  away  in  Mesopotamia,  on  the  banks  of  Cha- 
boras,  had  a  vision  of  these  horrors.  In  a  vision  he  felt  himself 
seized  by  a  lock  of  his  hair,  "and,"  saith  he,  "the  spirit  lifted  me 
up  between  the  earth  and  the  heaven,  and  brought  me  in  the 
visions  of  God  to  Jerusalem,  to  the  door  of  the  inner  gate  that 
looketh  towards  the  north."  What  did  the  seer's  eye  behold?  He 
saw  first  at  the  northern  entrance  of  the  inner  court  a  Canaanite 
idol,  then  at  the  eastern  entrance  in  deeply  concealed  apartments, 
the  walls  covered  with  hieroglyphics,  with  images  of  beasts  and 
creeping  things,  and  seventy  elders  offering  incense  to  the  Egyptian 
idols :  then  at  the  northern  entrance  there  sat  women  weeping  for 
the  Syrian  Thammuz,  i.  e.  Adonis:  and  in  the  inner  court  five  and 
twenty  priests,  with  their  backs  towards  the  temple  of  the  Lord, 
worshipped  the  sun  towards  the  east  after  the  manner  of  the  Per- 
sians. (Ezek.  viii.)  Should  such  abominations  be  suffered  with 
impunity  ? 

In  the  colony  established  at  the  banks  of  Chaboras;  Ezekiel  felt 


PSALM  LXXIV.  309 

for  the  calamities  of  his  native  country,  and  prophesied  her  future 
judgments.  Like  a  man  convulsed  by  pain,  he  raises  his  bitter 
complaint  for  the  sword  of  death  which  is  drawn  against  Jerusalem. 
(Ezek.  xxi.  19,  etc.}  The  hosts  of  the  king  of  Babylon  have  gone 
forth,  and  he  beholds  in  a  vision  the  indecision  of  the  king  whether 
he  is  to  march  against  the  Ammonites  or  against  Jerusalem,  sees 
him  consulting  heathen  soothsayers,  and  how  the  lots  decide  against 
Jerusalem.  "  The  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me  again,  saying, 
Also,  thou  son  of  man,  appoint  thee  two  ways,  that  the  sword  of  the 
king  of  Babylon  may  come :  both  twain  shall  come  forth  out  of  one 
land :  and  choose  thou  a  place,  choose  it  at  the  head  of  the  way  to 
the  city.  Appoint  a  way,  that  the  sword  may  come  to  Rabbath  of 
the  Ammonites,  and  to  Judah  in  Jerusalem,  the  defenced.  For  the 
Icing  of  Babylon  stood  at  the  parting  of  the  way,  at  the  head  of  the 
two  ways,  to  use  divination :  he  shook  his  arrows  (ip^h  to  shake 

or  wave :  these  arrows  had  a  name  inscribed  upon  them,)  he  con- 
sulted with  images,  he  looked  in  the  liver.  At  his  right  hand  was 
the  divination  for  Jerusalem,  to  appoint  battering  rams,  to  open  the 
mouth  in  the  slaughter,  to  lift  up  the  voice  with  shouting,  to  appoint 
battering  rams  against  the  gates,  to  cast  a  mount,  and  to  build  a 
fort."  (Ezek.  xxi.  19,  etc.)  Ezekiel  visibly  describes  in  a  still  more 
striking  manner  by  his  own  person,  the  events  which,  at  a  great 
distance  in  time  and  space,  should  on  the  day  of  visitation  transpire 
at  Jerusalem.  Before  the  eyes  of  his  companions  in  exile  he  was 
ordered  to  depart,  after  the  symbolic  manner  of  the  prophets,  with 
his  baggage  on  his  shoulders,  to  dig  through  the  wall,  and  to 
remove  it  in  the  twilight,  as  a  sign  unto  the  house  of  Israel.  And 
the  word  of  the  Lord  commanded  him  to  say  at  the  same  time,  "  I 
am  your  sign;  like  as  I  have  done,  so  it  shall  be  done  unto  them 
{you])  they  shall  remove  and  go  into  captivity.  And  the  prince 
that  is  among  them  shall  bear  upon  his  shoulder  in  the  twilight, 
and  shall  go  forth :  they  shall  dig  through  the  wall  to  carry  out 
thereby :  he  shall  cover  his  face,  that  he  see  not  the  ground  with 
his  eyes.  (Indicative  of  mourning :  cf.  2  Sam.  xv.  30.)  My  net 
also  will  I  spread  upon  him,  and  he  shall  be  taken  in  my  snare : 
and  I  will  bring  him  to  Babylon,  to  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans;  yet, 
lie  shall  not  see  it,  though  he  shall  die  there/'  (Ezek.  xii.  11,  etc.) 
Josephus  narrates  (Archseol.  x.  7.  2,)  that  the  prediction  of 
Ezekiel  was  sent  by  letters  to  the  king,  and  that  the  contradiction 
which  he  thought  to  perceive  between  it  and  that  of  Jeremiah  only 
confirmed  his  obduracy.  Now  Jeremiah  had  not  said  that  the 
fugitive  king  should  see  the  land  of  Babylon,  but  that  he  should 
see  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  predictions  of  the  two  prophets,  how- 
ever, were  fulfilled  with  so  astonishing  an  exactness,  which  can 
hardly  fail  to  terrify  hardened  sinners  at  all  times  and  in  every 


310  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

/ 

place,  and  to  confirm  the  wavering  in  their  faith  in  God,  the  gov- 
erner  of  the  world. 

Nebuchadnezzar  did  either  not  appear  in  person  at  Jerusalem, 
or  felt  disinclined  to  share  the  fatigues  of  a  siege  of  eighteen 
months.  Like  Pharaoh-Necho  in  the  days  of  Josiah,  (2  Kings 
xxiii.  33,)  Nebuchadnezzar  had  fixed  his  camp  at  Riblah,  on  the 
frontier  of  Syria  and  Palestine.  On  the  ninth  day  of  the  fourth 
month  of  the  eleventh  year  of  king  Zedekiah,  the  Chaldean  gene- 
rals entered  the  city,  and  Zedekiah,  accompanied  by  a  few  faithful 
followers,  escaped  at  night  out  of  the  city,  along  the  king's  garden, 
through  the  gate  on  both  walls.  The  Chaldeans  before  the  city 
saw,  pursued,  and  overtook  him  on  the  road  to  Jericho :  he  was 
carried  to  Riblah,  and  loaded  with  reproaches,  for  his  faithlessness 
had  to  submit  to  judgment.  His  children  were  butchered  before 
his  eyes,  Ms  own  eyes  were  put  out,  and  bound  in  chains  he  was 
led  to  Babylon.  Thus  was  fulfilled  the  prediction  of  Ezekiel,  that 
he  should  be  brought  to  Babylon,  yet  he  should  not  see  it :  Ezekiel 
having  made  mention  of  the  unbelieving  carelessness  of  the  people, 
who  said,  "The  days  are  prolonged,  and  every  vision  faileth;" 
when  the  Lord  God  said,  "lam  the  Lord;  1  will  speak,  and  the 
word  which  I  speak  shall  come  to  pass :  it  shall  be  no  more  pro- 
longed." (Ezek.  xii.  22.  25 ;  cf.  Jer.  xxxix.)  Be  not  deceived, 
God  is  not  mocked.  The  generals  went,  according  to  Josephus, 
immediately  after  the  conquest  of  the  city,  to  the  temple,  for  it 
was  the  most  important  building,  and  its  treasures  the  bait  of  con- 
querors. Before  determining  what  to  do  with  the  city  and  the 
temple,  they  sent  to  consult  the  king.  Not  until  a  month  after- 
wards did  they  break  down  the  ornaments  of  the  temple,  (Jer. 
lii.  17,)  and  burn  the  king's  palace,  the  temple,  and  the  chief  build- 
ings. The  more  respectable  class  of  the  people,  that  were  still 
left,  were  carried  away  captive;  only  vinedressers  and  husbandmen 
(Jer.  lii.  16)  were  left  behind,  upon  whom  whom  was  imposed  the 
payment  of  a  moderate  tax.  The  lenient  Babylonish  viceroy  dwelt 
at  Mizpah :  under  him  and  round  Jeremiah  a  new  congregation 
was  formed.  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  had  doubtlessly  been  informed 
of  Jeremiah's  efforts  to  stay  the  folly  of  the  people,  had  offered 
him  glorious  distinction  at  Babylon,  but  Jeremiah  preferred  to 
share  the  fate  of  the  small  remnant  of  his  nation.  The  viceroy 
was  slain,  however,  after  hardly  two  months  had  elapsed,  and  the 
terrified  people  fled  from  the  vengeance  of  the  Chaldeans  to  Egypt, 
again  contrary  to  the  express  word  of  the  Lord.  (Jer.  xlii.)  Jere- 
miah, the  most  faithful  of  pastors,  would  not  even  then  forsake  the 
faithless  band :  he  accompanied  them,  though  proclaiming  to  them 
in  the  most  definite  language  that  they  should  not  stay  there,  but 
that  Nebuchadnezzar  would  pursue  them  thither.  (Jer.  xliii.  10, 
etc.)  He  came  upon  them,  and  the  last  remnant  of  the  rejected 
people  of  God,  who  were  driven  into  every  direction,  after  having 


PSALM  LXXIV.  311 

rewarded  the  faithfulness  of  the  prophet  of  the  Lord  by  slaying 
him  with  wicked  hands ,  were  also  carried  to  Babylon. 

Psalm  Ixxiv.  was  composed  after  the  destruction  had  occurred, 
though  the  hostile  army  had  not  yet  gone  (v.  23,)  when  the  deso- 
lation had  become  so  great  that  bands  of  robbers  had  established 
themselves  in  the  city,  (v.  20.)  One  of  the  few  who  were  left 
behind  must  be  regarded  as  the  author  of  this  psalm. 

In  language  of  deep  emotion  rises  the  call  for  help,  (v.  1,  2.) 
The  bard  is  silent  of  temporal  injury;  he  only  weeps  for  the  ruin 
of  the  glorious  temple,  the  burning  of  the  synagogues,  and  the 
absence  of  a  prophet  to  proclaim  the  end  of  the  woe,  (v.  3 — 11.) 
For  his  comfort  he  causes  the  ancient  records  of  Divine  omnipo- 
tence which  prevailed  over  human  oppression,  as  well  as  the  monu- 
ments of  Divine  omnipotence  in  nature,  to  pass  before  his  mind's 
eye,  (v.  12 — 17.)  Edified  thereby,  he  finds  courage  to  pray  that 
God,  the  protector  of  the  needy,  would  not  deliver  into  the  power 
of  the  foe  the  timid  turtledove,  (v.  18 — 21.)  Reanimated  by  hope, 
he  even  calls  upon • the  arm  of  the  eternal  for  a  renewed  attack, 
(v.  22,  23.) 

IAN  Instruction  of  Asaph. 


A 


0  GOD,  why  hast  thou  cast  'us  off  for  ever  ? 
Why  doth  thine  anger  smoke  against  the  sheep  of  thy 
pasture  ? 

2  Eemember  thy  congregation,  which  thou  hast  purchased 

of  old ; 

The  tribe  of  thine  inheritance,  which  thou  hast  redeemed ; 
This  Mount  Zion,  wherein  thou  hast  dwelt. 

3  Lift  up  thy  feet  unto  the  perpetual  desolations ; 

Even  all  that  the  enemy  hath  done  wickedly  in  the 
sanctuary. 

4  Thine  enemies  roar  in  the  midst  of  thy  congregations ; 
They  set  up  their  ensigns  for  signs. 

5  They  appear  like  those  who  have  lifted  up 
Axes  upon  the  thick  trees. 

6  But  now  they  break  down  the  carved  work  thereof  at  once 
With  axes  and  hammers, 

7  They  have  cast  fire  into  thy  sanctuary, 

They  have  defiled  by  casting  down  the  dwelling-place  of 
thy  name  to  the  ground. 

8  They  said  in  their  hearts,  "  Let  us  destroy  them  together. " 
They  have  burned  up  all  the  synagogues  of  God  in  the  land. 


312  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 


9  We  see  not  our  signs : 

There  is  no  more  any  prophet: 

Neither  is  there  among  us  any  that  knoweth  how  long. 

10  O  God,  how  long  shall  the  adversary  reproach  ? 
Shall  the  enemy  blaspheme  thy  name  for  ever  ? 

11  Why  withdrawest  thou  thy  hand,  even  thy  right  hand? 
Pluck  it  out  of  thy  bosom  and  finish. 

12  For  God  is  my  King  of  old, 

Working  salvation  in  the  midst  of  the  earth.* 

13  Thou  didst  divide  the  sea  by  thy  strength: 

Thou  brakest  the  heads  of  the  dragons  in  the  waters. 

14  Thou  brakest  the  heads  of  the  crocodiles  in  pieces, 
And  gavest  them  to  be  meat  to  the  people  inhabiting  the 

wilderness. 

15  Thou  didst  cleave  the  fountain  and  the  flood: 
Thou  driedst  up  mighty  rivers. 

16  The  day  is  thine,  the  night  also  is  thine : 
Thou  hast  prepared  the  light  and  the  sun.f 

17  Thou  hast  set  all  the  borders  of  the  earth: 
Thou  hast  made  summer  and  winter. 

18  Eemember  this,  that  the  enemy  hath  reproached  the  LORD, 
And  that  the  foolish  people  have  blasphemed  thy  name. 

19  0  deliver  not  the  soul  of  thy  turtledove  unto  the  multi- 

tude of  the  wicked: 
Forget  not  the  congregation  of  thy  poor  for  ever. 

20  Have  respect  unto  the  covenant : 

For  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habita- 
tions of  cruelty. 

21  0  let  not  the  oppressed  be  turned  away  in  shame: 
Let* the  poor  and  needy  praise  thy  name. 

22  Arise,  0  God,  plead  thine  own  cause : 

Remember  how  the  foolish  man  reproacheth  thee  daily. 

23  Forget  not  the  voice  of  thine  enemies : 

The  tumult  of  those  that  rise  up  against  thee  ascendeth 
continually. 

V.  1.  "For  he  is  our  God:  and  we  are  the  people  of  his  pas- 
ture, and  the  sheep  of  his  hand."  So  said  the  people  in  Psalm 
xcv.  7.  Would  a  shepherd  pain  his  flock  to  such  a  degree?  It 

*  Exod.  viii.  18,  states  that  God,  by  the  control  over  nature,  in  Egypt, 
gave  a  sign  to  Pharaoh,  that  He  was  Lord  in  Egypt. 

f  Or,  "Thou  hast  appointed  the  course  of  the  lights  and  of  the  sun." 


PSALM  LXXIV.  313 

was  a  time  when  the  whole  nation  was  called  upon  to  reflect  upon 
the  sentiment  in  2  Mace.  vi.  14 — 16:  "For  not  as  with  other 
nations,  whom  the  Lord  patiently  forbeareth  to  punish  till  they  be 
come  to  the  fulness  of  their  sins,  so  dealeth  he  with  us,  lest  that, 
being  come  to  the  height  of  sin,  he  should  take  vengeance  of  us; 
and  though  he  punish  with  adversity,  yet  doth  he  never  forsake  hi3 
people.  But  let  this  that  we  have  spoken  be  for  a  warning  unto 
us."  Shall  God  be  silent  for  ever?  If  so,  would  not  then  the 
words  of  Psalm  1.  21  be  verified?  "  Thou  thoughtest  that  I  was 
altogether  such  an  one  as  thyself." 

V.  2.  Israel  is  indeed  the  Lord's  inheritance  from  of  old;  it 
grieves  him,  therefore,  that  he  is  compelled  to  use  such  severe 
measures  with  him.  The  Lord  himself  asks,  "Is  Ephraim  my  dear 
son  ?  Is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?  for  since  I  spake  against  him,  I  do 
earnestly  remember  him  still :  therefore  my  bowels  are  troubled  for 
him :  I  will  surely  have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord.  (Jer. 
xxxi.  20.)  From  words  like  these  they  could  infer  that  the  Lord 
"  doth  not  afflict  willingly  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  (Lam. 
iii.  33.) 

V.  3 — 7.  Robbed  of  his  possessions,  his  city  and  country  laid 
waste,  his  friends  slain  or  carried  into  captivity,  the  Psalmist's 
greatest  grief  is  on  account  of  the  profanation  of  the  sanctuary 
by  wicked  hands.  Instead  of  psalms  and  songs  of  praise  the  tri- 
umphant roarings  of  heathen  warriors  are  heard.  As  in  the 
days  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  so  probably  at  this  time  the  heathen, 
as  appears  from  v.  9,  set  up  in  the  temple  their  signs,  holy  things, 
altars,  and  rites.  The  axe  fell  upon  the  holy  symbols,  as  if  they 
were  common  wood.  It  may  easily  be  imagined  that  the  enemy 
had  removed  every  precious  thing  from  the  temple,  before  they  set 
fire  to  it.  Jeremiah,  indeed,  reports  as  much.  The  two  celebrated 
pillars  of  brass,  of  eighteen  cubits  high  apiece  in  the  outer  court, 
(1  Kings  vii.  15;)  the  gilt  folding-doors,  the  colossal  golden 
vine,  the  symbol  of  Israel,  (Psalm  Ixxx.  9;)  the  splendid 
carpenters'  work  of  cedar,  with  carved  figures  of  cherubim, 
palm-trees,  and  open  flowers,  all  overlaid  with  gold,  (1  Kings 
vii.  15 — 35,)  were  there.  How  many  precious,  how  many  holy 
remembrances  of  the  present  and  the  past !  And  all  this  fell  beneath 
the  strokes  of  the  axe  and  the  hammer,  as  if  a  man  were  felling 
wood. 

V.  8.  They  contemplate  total  destruction.  The  synagogues 
throughout  the  country  were  burned.  Now  it  appears  that  syna- 
gogues or  houses  of  worship  did  not  spring  up  before  the  captivity 
of  Israel,  when  they  were  no  longer  able  to  resort  to  the  temple  for 
purposes  of  worship.  From  this  circumstance  many  have  thought 
that  this  psalm  ought  to  be  referred  to  the  days  of  the  Maccabees. 
But,  as  was  observed  above,  there  is  no  record  that  Antiochus 
27 


314  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Epiphanes  did  burn  the  synagogues  in  the  country.  Others  apply 
the  passage  to  idolatrous  high  places  and  sanctuaries,  of  which, 
though  destroyed  by  the  godly  Josiah,  some  might  have  remained; 
but  it  does  not  stand  to  reason  that  the  pious  bard  should  mourn 
their  being  consumed  by  fire,  nor  would  he  have  called  them  the 
synagogues  of  God.  Others  again  explain  it  of  the  settlements  of 
the  schools  of  the  prophets;  but  they  had  most  likely  ceased  by 
this  time,  else  he  would  not  have  complained  that  there  were  no 
more  prophets.  Others  again  refer  it  to  the  noted  places,  where 
God  had  revealed  himself  to  his  people.  But  these  were  not  known 
to  the  heathen,  nor  were  they  distinguished  by  any  external  marks. 
There  is,  however,  nothing  to  prevent  the  supposition  that  as  early 
as  then,  there  were  scattered  throughout  the  country  synagogues 
for  purposes  of  prayer,  if  not  for  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures.* 

F.  9.  The  holy  signs  mean  the  entire  sacred  ritual,  emblems, 
sacred  relics  in  the  temple,  circumcision,  sacrifices;  hence  the 
prophets  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  them.  It  was  a  Divine 
judgment,  according  to  the  prediction  of  Ezekiel:  "  Mischief  shall 
come  upon  mischief,  and  rumour  (judgment)  shall  be  upon  rumour; 
then  shall  they  seek  a  vision  from  the  prophet;  but  the  law  shall 
perish  from  the  priest,  and  counsel  from  the  ancients."  (Ezekiel 
vii.  26.)  Although  in  those  hard  times  Jeremiah  continued  a  holy 
watchman  among  the  people,  who  had  not  only  predicted  the  desola- 
tion but  also  the  end  of  the  calamity,  (Jer.  xxv.  11, 12,)  yet  in  spite 
of  all  this,  a  man  who  saw  before  him  seventy  long  years  of  woe, 
might,  overwhelmed  by  his  grief,  utter  complaint  like  this,  because 
there  was  no  star  of  hope  for  the  immediate  future.  If  the  author 
of  this  psalm  was  one  of  the  fugitives  in  Moab  or  Edom,  (Jer. 
xl.  11,)  and  composed  it  at  the  juncture  when  Jeremiah  had,  with 
the  last  remnant  of  Israel,  fled  to  Egypt — the  expression  that  there 
was  no  prophet  left  would  be  accounted  for.  But  since  verses  10, 
18,  23,  seem  to  imply  the  presence  of  the  Chaldeans  in  the  coun- 
try, yea,  in  the  city  itself,  the  psalm  must  belong  to  the  time  when 
Jeremiah,  bound  in  chains,  had  already  been  sent  to  Ramah  to  be 
carried  with  the  remnant  to  Babylon.  (Jer.  xl.  1.)  The  intense 
grief  of  the  Psalmist  might,  however,  have  expressed  itself  in  lan- 
guage, which  is  not  to  be  taken  quite  literally.  Jeremiah  himself 
says,  "Her  gates  are  sunk  into  the  ground:  he  hath  destroyed  and 
broken  her  bars:  her  king  and  her  princes  are  among  the  Gentiles; 
the  law  is  no  more :  her  prophets  also  find  no  vision  from  the 
Lord."  (Lam.  ii.  9.) 

*  The  passage  2  Kings  iv.  23,  seems  to  imply  that  pious  Israelites  used 
to  assemble  with  the  prophets  on  Sabbaths  and  new  moons.  Perhaps  "the 
assembly  of  the  elders,"  in  Psalm  cvii.  32,  (which  was,  however,  composed 
after  the  exile,)  may,  as  KOster  thinks,  mean  "  assemblies  for  prayer." 


PSALM   LXXIV.  315 

F.  10,  11.  Having  enumerated  the  causes  of  his  grief,  the 
lacerated  mind  of  the  Psalmist  once  more  reverts  to  the  complaint 
in  the  beginning.  Then  he  asked,  Why? — now  he  prays  that  their 
unprecedented  humiliation  may  not  be  of  long  duration. 

V.  12 — 15.  The  comfort  which  he  derives  from  the  past  his- 
tory of  Israel  brings  relief.  He  calls  the  nation  of  the  Egyptians 
a  monster,  and  the  crocodile  of  the  water,  because  that  rapacious 
beast  is  peculiar  to  the  river  Nile,  see  Ezek.  xxix.  3;  Isa.  li.  9. 
The  pursuing  hosts  of  Pharaoh  were  drowned  in  the  waters  and 
their  bodies  cast  ashore  to  become  the  food  of  jackals,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  wilderness.  The  Omnipotence  of  God  provided  for 
his  people  in  the  most  opposite  manner,  now  breaking  streams  out 
of  the  cloven  rock,  (Exod.  xvii.  6;  Numb.  xx.  8,)  and  now  drying 
up  mighty  rivers,  which  used  not  to  dry  up  in  summer.  (Josh, 
iii.  14,  etc.) 

V.  16,  17.  The  same  God  has  inscribed  his  Omnipotence  on 
the  book  of  nature.  Not  accident,  which  is  lawless,  but  the  living 
God  has  framed  the  eternal  laws  of  the  courses  of  the  sun  and 
the  moon.  (Psalm  cxlviii.  6.)  His  law  reigns  on  the  earth  as  it 
does  in  the  skies:  'tis  he  who  made  the  change  of  seasons  and  set 
the  borders  of  countries  and  nations.  (Acts  xvii.  26.) 

F.  18,  19.  This  is  the  foundation  on  which  the  Psalmist  bases 
his  prayer  to  God,  to  display  in  the  profound  ignominy  of  his  peo- 
ple the  eternal  rights  of  that  Omnipotence  which  governs  history 
and  enacts  the  laws  of  nature.  He  calls  his  nation  the  turtledove 
of  God — at  this  time  not  on  account  of  their  purity  and  innocence, 
but  because  of  their  helplessness  and  timidity,  for  he  immediately 
prays,  "Forget  not  the  congregation  of  thy  poor." 

V.  20,  21.  He  cannot  appeal  to  any  righteousness  of  his  own. 
"Look  upon  the  Covenant."  This  is  the  eternal  asylum  of  the 
saints  of  God  even  in  the  greatest  peril.  And  though  they  have 
broken  it,  shall  the  unbelief  of  man  make  the  faithfulness  of  God 
without  effect?  (Rom.  iii.  3.)  The  country  must  have  been  deso- 
late to  a  fearful  extent  if  in  their  great  calamity,  when  all  the  ties 
of  law  and  order  had  ceased,  every  secret  place  of  the  land  had 
become  a  den  of  murderers. 

F.  22,  23.  The  savage  tumult  of  the  foe  rages  as  yet  without 
intermission  in  the  capital  and  the  borders  of  the  land.  Though 
the  nation  herself  is  the  originator  of  all  those  evils,  yet  the  name 
of  the  God  of  Israel  is  for  their  sakes  reproached!  (Isaiah  Hi.  5; 
xlviii.  11.) 


316  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 


PSALM  LXXV. 

A  SONG  of  praise,  expressive  of  the  firm  confidence  that  deliverance 
is  nigh.  Terse  7  shows  that  the  deliverance  has  respect  to  an 
enemy  who  comes  from  the  north,  for  it  says  that  deliverance  is  to 
proceed  neither  from  the  east,  nor  from  the  west,  nor  from  the 
south,  i.  e.  the  desert  of  Arabia,  (cf.  Psalm  cxxvi.  4 :)  for  a  similar 
reason  the  east,  the  west,  and  the  south  only  are  mentioned, 
(Psalm  Ix.  10.)  Since  Psalm  Ixxvi.  speaks  definitely  of  the  deliv- 
erance of  Jerusalem  from  the  hand  of  Sennacherib,  and  since 
Israel  did  not  experience  any  other  great  deliverance  from  a  north- 
ern foe  than  this — it  may  be  concluded  that  the  Psalmist  raised 
this  song  of  praise  at  the  time  when  it  was  observed  at  Jerusalem 
that  the  pestilence  had  commenced  its  ravages  in  the  camp  of  the 
foe. 

The  sudden  and  fearful  manifestation  of  the  hand  of  God  from 
heaven  against  the  proud,  causes  the  Psalmist  to  recognize  in  that 
judgment  a  prelude  of  the  final  judgment  of  God  on  evildoers. 
He  begins  with  a  description  of  the  praise  of  the  wondrous  works 
of  Jehovah,  which  shall  then  be  sung,  (v.  2,)  adduces  a  prophetic 
sentence  like  those  which  Isaiah  had  in  those  days  repeatedly 
addressed  to  the  haughty  king  who  would  not  own  that  he  was 
only  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Omnipotent,  v.  3 — 6,  (cf.  ad. 
Psalms  xlvi.  xlviii.)  He  next  ascribes  the  sole  honour  of  deliv- 
erance to  God,  (v.  7,  8,)  proclaims  the  Divine  judgment  on  evil- 
doers, (v.  9,)  and  thinks  with  exultant  joy  of  his  future  songs  of 
triumph,  naming  as  it  were  as  their  theme  the  promises  of  God. 
(v.  10,  11.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  or  Song  of  Asaph,  to 
JL       the  tune  "  Destroy  not." 

2  Unto  thee,  0  God,  do  we  give  thanks, 
Unto  thee  do  we  give  thanks : 

For  t hat  thy  name  is  near  thy  wondrous  works  declare. 

3  "When  I  have  taken  a  set  time, 
I  will  judge  uprightly. 

4  The  earth  and  all  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  dissolved : 
I  bear  up  the  pillars  of  it.     Selah. 

5  I  say  unto  the  fools,  deal  not  foolishly : 
And  to  the  wicked,  lift  not  up  the  horn : 

6  Lift  not  up  your  horn  on  high: 
Speak  not  with  a  stiff  neck." 

7  For  promotion  cometh  neither  from  the  east, 
Nor  from  the  west,  nor  from  the  desert. 


PSLAM  LXXV.  317 

8  But  God  is  the  judge: 

He  putteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up  another. 

9  For  in  the  hand  of  the  LORD  there  is  a  cup, 
And  the  wine  foameth,  it  is  full  of  mixture ; 
And  he  poureth  out  of  the  same : 

But  the  dregs  thereof,  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  shall 
wring  them  out,  and  drink  them. 

10  But  I  will  declare  for  ever ; 

I  will  sing  praises  to  the  God  of  Jacob. 

11  "ALL  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  WICKED  ALSO  WILL  I  CUT  OFF; 
BUT  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  SHALL  BE  EXALTED." 

V.  2.  The  name  of  God  is  "  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffer- 
ing, and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth."  The  Lord  himself 
referred  to  his  name,  Exod.  xxxiv.  5,  6.  A  new  revelation  of  its 
truth  is  at  hand,  and  the  Psalmist  hears  beforehand  the  praises  of 
his  delivered  nation. 

V.  3 — 6.  The  fulfilment  is  at  hand.  Isaiah  prophecies  in 
similar  terms,  (Isaiah  x.  12 — 15,)  "  I  shall  take  a  set  time/'  saith 
the  word  of  the  Lord.  Israel  did  no  doubt  experience  at  that 
time  the  grief,  of  which  Asaph  says,  "I  was  envious  at  the  foolish, 
when  I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked."  (Psalm  Ixxiii.  3.) 
Many  a  time  may  they  have  asked,  "O  Lord,  how  long?"  The 
word  of  God  reminds  them  that  there  is  a  suitable  time  for  the 
manifestation  of  Divine  justice;  though  the  earth  and  the  heavens 
should  in  the  meantime  shake,  and  human  pusillanimity  imagine 
the  worst — when  the  set  time  shall  have  arrived,  even  a  whole 
world  of  tumult  and  confusion  must  again  turn  quiet.  So  should 
we,  when  all  around  us  is  in  confusion,  and  the  firmest  strongholds 
give  way,  still  retain  the  belief,  that  God  is  only  waiting  for  his 
set  time.  Divine  visitations  will  least  fail  to  appear  when  the  pride 
of  wretched  mortals  ventures  to  measure  itself  with  the  Lord  in 
heaven,  for  God  can  never  suffer  mortals  to  deprive  him  of  his 
honour.  (Isaiah  xlii.  8.) 

V.  7,  8.  In  virtue  of  the  promised  revelation  the  Psalmist  dis- 
dains to  look  for  elevation  from  any  other  quarter  than  from  him 
who  has  promised  to  hold  judgment  in  his  time.  He  looks  to 
every  direction  from  which  the  people  might  have  expected  deliv- 
erance to  come,  e.  g.  from  the  kings  of  Egypt  or  Ethiopia,  as  in 
fact  those  princes  had  really  gone  forth  to  the  aid  of  Israel.  (See 
Introd.  to  Psalm  xlvi.)  God  alone  shall  be  the  judge  and  the 
refuge :  and  thus  it  came  to  pass.  Not  human  weapon,  but  the 
blow  of  the  hand  of  God  destroyed  the  proud  Sennacherib:  "For 
the  victory  of  battle  standeth  not  in  the  multitude  of  an  host:  but 
strength  comethfrom  heaven."  (1  Mace.  iii.  19.) 

V.  9,  10.  As  the  head  of  a  family  passes  the  cup  at  table,  so  the 
27* 


318  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Lord,  whose  throne  is  in  the  heavens,  hands  to  mortals,  according 
to  their  deserts,  the  cup  of  consolation  or  of  folly.  As  myrrh 
(Mark  xv.  23)  is  put  into  wine  to  impart  to  it  a  stupifying  virtue, 
so  God  presents  to  evil  doers  an  intoxicating  cup,  which  they  must 
empty  to  the  poisonous  dregs.  When  the  judgment  began,  the 
servants  of  Sennacherib  had  to  drink  of  that  cup,  and  "  fell  into 
their  sleep/'  (Ps.  Ixxvi.  6.) 

F.  11.  The  Psalmist  cannot  grow  weary  with  praising.  His 
imperishable  theme  is  the  truth  that  the  righteous  shall  finally 
prevail. 


PSALM  LXXVI. 

A  SONG  of  praise  for  the  deliverance  of  Jerusalem  from  the  hand 
of  Sennacherib.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xlvi.  xlviii.)  This  psalm  was  proba- 
bly composed  by  the  same  Asaphite,  soon  after  the  deliverance  of 
Zion,  who  composed  Psalm  Ixxv.  before  that  event.  It  strikingly 
depicts  the  eventful  history  of  that  time.  As  in  Psalm  xlviii.  so 
here  the  bard  commences  with  praising  the  city  of  God,  where  he 
had  long  since  revealed  his  glory,  and  now  also  brought  to  an  end 
the  strife  of  men,  (v.  2 — 4.)  He  next  describes  how  the  mighty 
ones,  drunk  with  the  intoxicating  cup  of  God,  have,  with  all  their 
apparatus  of  war,  sunk  powerless  in  the  sleep  of  death,  and  been 
obliged  to  leave  their  spoil  to  the  servants  of  Jehovah,  (v.  5 — 7.) 
As  it  were,  still  stupified  by  the  voice  of  the  judgment,  he  now 
speaks  of  the  solemnity  of  the  Divine  judgments,  (v.  8 — 10.)  God 
weaves  himself  a  wreath  of  honour  from  the  vain  rebellion  of  mor- 
tals. The  Psalmist,  therefore,  finally  calls  upon  the  heathen,  as  in 
Psalm  xlvi.  to  pay  their  homage  to  the  Lord,  (v.  11 — 13.) 

the  chief  Musician  on  the  harp,  A  Psalm  or  Song 
Asaph. 

2  In  Judah  is  God  known : 
His  name  is  great  in  Israel. 

3  In  Salem  also  is  his  tabernacle, 
And  his  dwelling-place  in  Zion. 

4  There  brake  he  the  arrows  of  the  bow, 

The  shield,  and  the  sword,  and  the  battle.     Selah. 

5  Thou  art  glorious  and  excellent 
From  the  mountains  of  prey.* 

*  This  translation  is  sanctioned  on  comparing  Cant.  iv.  8 ;  others  render, 
"More  glorious  than  the  mountains  full  of  prey,"  i.  e.  the  mountains  of 
the  enemy,  who  came  from  the  mountains  of  Mesopotamia ;  cf.  Nah.  iii.  18. 


PSALM  LXXVI.  319 

6  The  stouthearted  are  spoiled, 
They  are  sunk  into  their  sleep : 

And  none  of  the  men  of  might  have  found  their  hands. 

7  At  thy  rebuke,  0  God  of  Jacob, 

Both  the  chariot  and  horse  are  cast  into  a  dead  sleep. 

8  Thou,  even  thou,  art  to  be  feared : 

And  who  may  stand  in  thy  sight  when  once  thou  art  angry  ? 

9  Thou  didst  cause  judgment  to  be  heard  from  heaven; 
The  earth  feared,  and  was  still, 

10  When  God  arose  to  judgment, 

To  save  all  the  meek  of  the  earth.     Selah. 

11  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  thee : 
The  remainder  of  wrath  shall  praise  thee.* 

12  Vow,  and  pay  unto  the  LORD  your  God : 

Let  all  that  be  round  about  him  bring  presents  unto  him 
that  is  to  be  feared. 

13  He  shall  cut  off  the  spirit  (or,  "the  courage")  of  princes: 
He  is  terrible  to  the  kings  of  the  earth. 

F.  2.  The  preceding  psalm  had  praised  the  approaching  new 
revelation  of  the  Divine  name;  now  after  it* has  become  true  and 
been  sealed  anew  that  "God  is  yet  good  in  Israel,"  the  Psalmist 
can  with  increased  confidence  say  that  the  name  of  the  Lord  is 
known  and  glorious  in  Israel.  We  Christians  read  and  repeat  it 
with  sublime  joy,  knowing  that  every  title  to  grace,  every  privilege, 
has  passed  from  the  Israel  after  the  flesh  to  that  Israel  of  whom 
the  apostle  speaks  in  Gal.  iii.  16.  It  may  now  be  said  of  this 
Israel  after  the  spirit  that,  "In  Judah  is  God  known,  his  name  is 
glorious  in  Israel."  The  Church  of  true  believers  is  now  the 
theatre  of  the  glory  of  God.  The  Church  in  which,  says  the 
apostle,  is  manifested  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God,  is  a  glorious 
revelation  even  to  the  principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly 
places,  (Ephes.  iii.  10.)  Knowing  ourselves  the  members  of  the 
same  body,  conjointly  with  the  people  of  the  ancient  covenant, 
with  how  increased  a  sense  of  sympathy  do  we  peruse  God's  deal- 
ings with  them  !  The  tribe  of  Judah  designates  the  entire  nation 
as  in  Psalm  cxiv.  2. 

F.  3,  4.  Psalm  xlviii.  2,  praises  after  the  same  manner,  that 
the  Lord  has  set  up  his  tabernacle  in  Salem  (the  ancient  name  of 
Jerusalem,  (Gen.  xiv.  18 ;)  and  the  author  of  Psalm  xlvi.  lauds 
the  Lord  in  verse  10,  for  having  terminated  those  wars  before 
Jerusalem,  which  Sennacherib  had  for  many  years  carried  on  in  a 
large  portion  of  the  then  known  world.  But  the  report  of  the  fact 

*  Or,  "With  them  thou  girdest  thyself,"  i.  e.  they  shall  surround  thee 
with  praises. 


320  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

that  the  proud  waves  were  stayed  here,  that  just  before  the  height5 
of  Salem,  "the  hook  was  put  into  his  nose,  and  the  bridle  into  hif 
lips/'  (Isaiah  xxxvii.  29,)  coupled  with  the  name  of  the  God  o: 
Israel,  could  hardly  fail  to  spread  throughout  all  lands,  (Psaln 
xlviii.  11.) 

V.  5—7.  The  Lord  had  foretold  "that  I  will  break  the 
Assyrian  in  my  land,  and  upon  my  mountains  tread  him  undei 
foot/'  (Isaiah  xiv.  25.)  They  came  to  the  mountains  of  Jerusalem 
for  prey,  but  they  were  obliged  to  leave  prey  behind  them  on  those 
very  mountains.  The  expression  of  the  Psalmist  with  reference  tc 
sleep,  into  which  the  men  of  might  helplessly  fell,  is  the  more  sig- 
nificant, since  a  tendency  to  sleep  accompanies  the  pestilence.  A 
profound  stupor  had  inperceptibly  translated  the  sleepers  intc 
eternal  sleep.  "When  they  arose  early  in  the  morning,  behold, 
they  were  all  dead  corpses."  (2  Kings  xix.  35.)  The  poet  paints 
the  scene  as  if  we  were  accompanying  him  into  the  camp,  a  shorl 
time  ago  so  full  of  life,  but  now  covered  with  the  silence  of  death, 
Nalium  refers  in  similar  terms  to  the  ultimate  destiny  of  Assyria : 
"Thy  shepherds  slumber,  0  king  of  Assyria;  thy  valiant  ones 
shall  dwell  in  the  dust;  thy  people  is  scattered  upon  the  moun- 
tains, and  no  man  gathereth  them."  (Nahum  iii.  18.) 

V.  8 — 10.  "  Thou,  even  thou  art  to  be  feared,"  we  exclaim 
with  the  Psalmist.  The  repetition  of  "thou"  seems  to  say,  that  he 
alone  is  to  be  feared  who  is  able  to  disperse  with  a  single  breath 
the  united  strength  of  the  world.  The  judgment  came  from 
heaven.  The  visitation  was  too  great  to  refer  it  to  chance  or  to 
any  human  power.  The  words  of  the  prophet  concerning  the 
wicked  are  generally  true:  "The  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea; 
when  it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  There 
is  no  peace  to  the  wicked."  (Isaiah  IviL  20,  21.)  But  even  the 
wicked  must  be  silent,  when  the  bared  arm  of  the  Lord  visibly 
pierces  the  clouds. 

F.  11 — 13.  Believers  may  with  unshaken  confidence  look  at 
the  rage  of  man.  For  it  is  certain  that  all  mankind,  the  godly  as 
well  as  the  wicked,  must  serve  the  Lord — the  one  of  their  own 
accord,  the  other  against  their  will.  The  eternal  and  self-consist- 
ing Creator  turns  the  fury  of  man  into  a  wreath  of  honour.  So 
the  Scriptures  say  God  raised  (i.  e.  set  him  up  in  history)  Pharaoh 
simply  for  the  purpose  that  he  and  all  his  raging  should  become 
instrumental  to  God's  name  becoming  declared  throughout  all  the 
earth.  (Horn.  ix.  17.)  The  horn  of  Sennacherib  was  broken,  his 
fury  put  an  end  to,  but  the  whole  power  of  the  foe  was  not  yet  des- 
troyed. A  remnant  had  yet  to  be  conquered.  But  that  remnant 
also  must  serve  the  Lord.  The  Psalmist  considers  the  solemn 
judgments  of  the  God  of  Israel  to  have  been  an  irresistible  sermon 
to  all  the  princes  of  the  earth,  and  calls  upon  them  to  pay  their 
homage  to  this  God,  who  is  able  to  break  all  human  pride.  He 


PSALM  LXXVH.  321 

probably  says  this  in  allusion  to  the  fact,  that  at  that  time  sur- 
rounding nations,  most  likely  the  Egyptians  and  Ethiopians,  who 
were  endangered  by  Sennacherib,  brought  gifts  for  Hezekiah  and 
the  Temple.  (2  Chron.  xxxii.  23,)  Psalm  Ixxxvii.  gives  expres- 
sion to  still  brighter  Messianic  hopes,  most  probably  in  connection 
with  the  same  event. 


PSALM  LXXVIL 

A  MELANCHOLIC  song  of  complaint,  deriving  consolation  from  the 
wonderful  works  of  God  in  the  past.  We  can  hardly  conceive  that 
the  Psalmist  intended  to  conclude  the  poem  with  the  remembrance 
of  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  though  the  preparative  verses  14 — 17 
might  possibly  dispense  with  a  conclusion,  as  it  is  indeed  wanting 
to  Psalm  Ixxviii.;  but  the  probability  is  far  greater  that  the  Psalmist 
was  prevented  from  pursuing  the  narrative  of  the  marvellous  works 
of  God  and  bringing  thus  the  poem  to  a  close. 

Troubles  and  struggles  in  prayer  have  for  a  long  time  continued 
day  and  night  with  the  Psalmist,  (v.  2 — 4.)  He  dwells  on  the 
joyous  times  of  the  past,  and  meditates  on  the  thoughts  of  God, 
(v.  5 — 7.)  He  inquires  whether  more  gladsome  days  were  to 
arise,  (v.  8 — 12.)  He  derives  strength  and  comfort  from  the 
thought  that  God  did  prove  himself  a  covenant  God,  (v.  13,  14.) 
When  the  Lord  delivered  his  people,  he  brought  them  through  the 
great  waters  by  ways  unknown  to  men,  and  led  them  as  his  flock, 
(v.  15—21.) 

the  chief  Musician  of  the  Jeduthunites,  A  Psalm  of 
Asaph. 

2  I  cried  unto  God  with  my  voice, 

Even  unto  God  with  my  voice ;  and  he  gave  ear  unto  me. 

3  In  the  day  of  my  trouble  I  sought  the  Lord : 

My  hand  was  stretched  out  in  the  night,  and  ceased  not : 
My  soul  refused  to  be  comforted. 

4  I  remembered  God,  and  was  troubled : 

I  meditated,  and  my  spirit  was  overwhelmed.     Selah. 

5  Thou  boldest  mine  eyes  waking : 

I  am  so  troubled  that  I  cannot  speak. 

6  I  have  considered  the  days  of  old. 
The  years  of  ancient  times. 


322  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

7  I  call  to  remembrance  my  song  in  the  night  : 
I  commune  with  mine  own  heart : 

And  my  spirit  maketh  diligent  search. 

8  "Will  the  Lord  cast  off  for  ever? 
And  will  he  be  favourable  no  more? 

9  Is  his  mercy  clean  gone  for  ever  ? 
Doth  his  promise  fail  for  evermore  ? 

10  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious  ? 

Hath  he  in  anger  shut  up  his  tender  mercies?"     Selah. 

11  And  I  say,  "Tnis  MY  AFFLICTION 

IS  A  CHANGE  OF  THE  RIGHT  HAND  OF  THE  MOST  HlGH." 

12  I  will  remember  the  works  of  the  LORD  : 
Surely  I  will  remember  thy  wonders  of  old. 

13  I  will  meditate  also  of  all  thy  work, 
And  talk  of  thy  doings. 

14  Thy  way,  0  God,  is  in  the  sanctuary: 
Who  is  so  great  a  God  as  our  God? 

15  Thou  art  the  God  that  doest  wonders : 

Thou  hast  declared  thy  strength  among  the  nations : 

16  Thou  hast  with  thine  arm  redeemed  thy  people, 
The  sons  of  Jacob  and  Joseph.*     Selah. 

17  The  waters  saw  thee,  0  God,  the  waters  saw  thee : 
They  were  afraid: 

The  depths  also  were  troubled. 

18  The  clouds  poured  out  water : 
The  skies  sent  out  a  sound: 
Thine  arrows  also  went  abroad 

19  The  voice  of  thy  thunder  was  in  the  heaven  (or,  "in  the 

whirlwind:") 

Thy  lightnings  lightened  the  world: 
The  earth  trembled  and  shook: 

20  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea, 

And  thy  path  in  the  great  waters, 
And  thy  footsteps  are  not  known. 

21  Thou  leddest  thy  people  like  a  flock 
By  the  hand  of  Moses  and  Aaron. 

V.  2.  Asaph  informs  us  that,  unlike  the  many,  he  had  not  poured 
out  the  trouble  of  his  heart  indiscriminately,  but  that  he  had  set  a 
term  to  his  cries,  even  that  term,  to  which  the  complaint  of  mortals 
should  alone  be  directed,  he  cried  unto  God. 

F.  3.     He  did  not  in  a  superficial  manner  ease  his  heart  by  pray- 

*  Cf.  ad.  Pealm  Ixxx.  2. 


PSALM   LXXVII.  323 

ing  now  and  then,  as  many  people  declare  to  have  prayed,  when, 
after  having  turned  their  eyes  to  a  thousand  helpers,  they  have 
now  and  then  looked  up  to  heaven.  But  Asaph  had  for  nights 
stretched  forth  his  hands,  though  his  soul  refused  to  be  comforted 
by  that  means  of  grace.  They  are  real  men  of  prayer  with  whom, 
when  answers  fail  to  be  forthcoming,  the  thirst  for  prayer  gets  not 
weakened,  but  inflamed  with  greater  ardour.  Beginners  get  weary 
and  look  out  for  other  helpers.  Asaph's  faith  did  not  waver;  he 
knew  that  they  who  perseveringly  and  believingly  knock  at  the 
door,  will  sooner  or  later  get  admittance. 

F.  4.  There  are  moments  in  the  life  of  every  believer  when 
God  and  his  ways  become  unintelligible  to  them.  They  get  lost  in 
profound  meditation,  and  nothing  is  left  them  but  a  desponding 
sigh.  But  we  know,  from  Paul  the  Apostle,  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
intercedes  for  believers  with  God,  when  they  utter  such  sighs. 
(Rom.  viii.  26.) 

F.  5.  Disquieted  in  heart  he  cannot  find  sleep.  He  has  cried 
again  and  again,  but  his  mouth  grew  silent  for  a  time,  and  he  gave 
himself  to  deep  thought.  Whenever  silence  and  thought  like 
this  occur  Sifter  prayers  long  and  loud,  though  the  mouth  be  quiet 
the  heart  continues  in  secret  prayer. 

F.  6,  7.  He  selects  the  theme  which  believers  in  trouble  ought 
always  to  choose :  the  days  when  the  goodness  of  God  was  seen  and 
tasted.  He  makes  mention  of  songs  of  praise,  which  he  had  sung 
at  night.  This  shows  him  to  have  been  one  of  those  godly  men 
who  are  peculiarly  fond,  in  the  still  loneliness  of  night,  to  hold 
communion  with  God.  Such  remembrances  appease  the  tempest  of 
the  soul,  so  that  we  gather  courage  and  comfort  ourselves  with  the 
words,  "Thou  art  his,  he  will  never  leave  thee."  But  Satan  may 
withal  turn  these  sweet  remembrances  into  temptations;  e.g.  when 
our  soul  inquires,  "  Why  is  it  not  always  so?"  or  when  troublesome 
thoughts  arise,  like  those  expressed  in  the  succeeding  verses. 

F.  8 — 11.  We  have  seen  that  these  despairing  thoughts  arose 
after  continued  and  silent  suffering.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the 
doubt  which  is  here  expressed  is  not  the  doubt  of  unbelief,  but  of 
hesitancy  and  pusillanimity:  for  he  is  unable  thoroughly  to  believe 
the  suggestions  of  pusillanimity.  Will  God,  who  had  said  that  his 
name  is  "Merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in 
goodness  and  truth/'  (Exod.  xxxiv.  6,)  become  untrue  to  his  name? 
Will  God,  to  whose  attributes  it  belongs  to  be  good  and  faithful 
to  his  promises,  make  an  exception  in  my  case?  Impossible. 

F.  12 — 14.  He  turns  therefore  his  attention  to  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  power  and  mercy  of  God  in  ancient  times.  His  doings 
are  different  from  the  doings  of  the  gods  whom  the  heathen  worship. 
He  does  not  mean  to  affirm  the  existence  of  other  gods,  but  to 
shame  the  folly  of.  the  world,  which  will  not  be  satisfied  with  this 
one  God,  whose  wondrous  power  is  so  great.  (Psalm  xcvi.  5.) 


324  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

y.  15 20.     He  contemplates  the  memorable  miracle  of  the 

exode  from  Egypt,  which  is  to  all  believers  in  Israel  a  figure,  how 
God  brings  his  people  out  of  the  gloom  of  tribulation.  Then  God 
powerfully  manifested  that  the  elements  must  obey  at  his  bidding, 
if  he  but  moves  his  hand  towards  the  deliverance  of  his  people. 
(Cf.  Notes  ad.  Psalm  Ixxviii.  13.)  As  a  slave  at  the  approach  of 
his  master,  so  the  billows  tremble  at  the  approach  of  God.  A 
north-east  wind  had  divided  the  waters.  The  Psalmist  describes 
poetically  the  power  of  the  Divine  operations  as  the  power  of  a 
tempest.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  xviii.  10,  etc.)  But  Moses  seems  to  speak 
of  a  storm  which  fought  against  Pharaoh.  (Exodus  xiv.  24.)  The 
Lord  of  Hosts  has  a  way  of  his  own,  on  which  none  can  follow  him. 
When  the  waters  returned  his  footsteps  were  gone.  Well  may  the 
Christian  poet  say,  "  Every  way  there  is  a  way  to  him,  and  means 
he  has  the  many/'  As  a  shepherd  leads  his  helpless  flock,  so  the 
Lord  led  his  people  faithfully  by  the  hand  of  his  chosen  servants. 
(Micah  vi.  4;  Numbers  xxxiii.  1.) 


PSALM  LXXVIII. 

A  PSALM  of  instruction,  being  a  dehortation  to  the  people  from  the 
disobedience  and  inconstancy  of  their  ancestors.  (Cf.  Psalm  cvi.) 

The  psalm  contemplates,  however,  another  end,  namely,  to  justify 
the  removal  of  the  sanctuary  from  Shiloh  in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim, 
to  Zion  in  the  tribe  of  Judah.  The  psalm  concludes  with  that  jus- 
tification as  with  its  leading  thought,  (v.  67 — 72.)  It  is  expressed 
in  verses  9 — 12,  that  the  dehortation  is  specifically  applicable  to 
the  children  of  Ephraim,  who  had  taken  no  warning  from  the  exam- 
ple of  their  forefathers.  Circumstances  must  have  induced  the 
choice  of  this  theme :  the  inducement  was  furnished  by  the  jealousy 
of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  which  had  occasioned  as  early  as  the  days 
of  David,  variance,  schism,  and  even  rebellion.  (2  Sam.  xix.  40; 
2  Sam.  xx.;  1  Chron.  xxi.  6.)*  It  should  be  remembered  that 
Benjamin  belonged  to  Ephraim,  the  reason  being  that  Rachel  was 
the  mother  of  both  Benjamin  and  Joseph;  these  three  sons  of 
Rachel  used  to  follow  immediately  behind  the  ark,  when  it  was 
removed.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm  Ixxx.  2.)  This  relation  of  Benjamin  to 
Ephraim  is  perfectly  clear  from  2  Sam.  xix.  20,  since  Shimei,  who 
affirms  himself  to  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  was  a  Benjaminite. 

*  Joab's  reluctance  to  take  the  census  in  Benjamin,  probably  arose  from 
the  opposition  of  that  tribe. 


PSALM   LXXVIII.  325 

(Z  Sam.  xix.  16,  17;  xvi.  5.)  This  furnishes  a  clue  to  the  exist- 
ing variance.  Since  Saul  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  and 
had  greatly  preferred  the  children  of  that  tribe,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  7,) 
Ephraim  had  lost  much  of  its  importance  by  David's  accession  to 
the  throne.  Hence  David  was  for  the  space  of  seven  years  acknow- 
ledged by  Judah  only,  until  Abner  secured  for  him  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  other  tribes.  (2  Sam.  iii.)  The  spark  of  discord, 
however,  continued  to  glow,  until  it  kindled  into  a  flame  at  the 
above-mentioned  occasion.  The  insurrection  of  Sebna,  who  was  a 
Benjaminite,  towards  the  close  of  the  reign  of  David,  furnishes  the 
evidence  of  secretly-continued  opposition.  Hence  one  of  David's 
singers  might  feel  himself  called  upon  to  seek  to  justify  the  rejec- 
tion of  Ephraim  on  account  of  its  guilt  and  the  call  of  Judah. 
Asaph  shows  that  while  the  sanctuary  continued  at  Shiloh  in 
Ephraim,  Israel  had  to  endure  shame,  and  that  even  the  ark  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  foe,  (v.  61,)  until  the  Lord  awoke,  as  it  were, 
from  his  sleep,  and  gave  to  Israel  new  victories,  under  Samuel  and 
David,  transplanting  at  the  same  time  the  sanctuary  to  Jerusalem, 
from  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  into  that  of  Judah,  (v.  65 — 68.)  So 
Jeremiah  (Jer.  vii.  14,  15)  addresses  the  kingdom  of  Judah, 
"Therefore  will  I  do  unto  this  house,  which  is  called  by  my  name, 
wherein  ye  trust,  and  unto  the  .place,  which  I  gave  to  you  and  to 
your  fathers,  as  I  have  done  to  Shiloh.  And  I  will  cast  you  out 
of  my  sight,  as  I  have  cast  out  all  your  brethren,  even  the  whole 
seed  of  Ephraim/'  Had  this  psalm  been  composed  in  later  times, 
as  is  the  opinion  of  many  commentators,  on  what  grounds  should 
its  author  have  confined  himself  to  the  description  of  Ephraim' s 
sins  before  David,  and  omitted  to  reproach  them  with  their  falling 
away  from  the  Divinely  chosen  race  of  kings?  Why  should  he 
have  satisfied  himself  with  speaking  of  the  idolatry  in  the  time  of 
the  Judges,  and  be  silent  about  their  ignominious  idolatry  in  the 
days  of  Jeroboam  ?  The  psalm  can  therefore  not  well  be  referred 
to  a  later  period  than  that  of  David.  It  furnishes  the  remarkable 
evidence  that  the  Pentateuch  must  then  have  been  well  known, 
since  the  Psalmist  not  only  follows*  the  thread  of  its  history,  but 
evidently  dwells  on  specific  passages  of  the  Book  of  Numbers,  (v.  21. 
28—31.) 

The  Psalmist  having  assigned  as  the  reason  of  his  descending  to 
antiquity,  his  desire  that  the  children  should  be  admonished  by 
the  works  of  God  to  their  fathers,  as  well  as  by  the  disobedience 
of  these,  (v.  1 — 8 ;)  and  having  accused  Ephraim  of  unteachable- 
ness;  enumerates  from  verses  13 — 55  the  instances  of  the  obduracy 
and  faithlessness  of  the  nation,  as  well  as  of  the  goodness  and 
majesty  of  Grod.  He  accuses  (v.  56 — 64)  the  disobedient  children, 
who  refused  to  take  warning  from  the  example  of  their  fathers : 
that  accusation  applies  peculiarly  to  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  because 
under  the  reign  of  that  tribe  the  sanctuary  was  with  them,  and 
28 


326  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Israel  had  to  endure  great  shame  at  the  hands  of  the  Philistines. 
The  sanctuary  being  now  established  on  Zion,  he  beholds  in  a  pro- 
phetic vision  its  eternal  duration,  for  what  else  is  the  Christian 
Church  than  that  spiritual  Zion;  which  issued  forth  from  the  tem- 
poral Zion  ?  (Gal.  iv.  26.) 


A1 


Instruction  of  Asaph. 


1  Give  ear,  0  my  people,  to  my  law : 
Incline  your  ears  to  the  words  of  my  mouth. 

2  I  will  open  my  mouth  in  a  parable : 
I  will  utter  dark  sayings  of  old : 

3  Which  we  have  heard  and  known, 
And  our  fathers  have  told  us. 

4  We  will  not  hide  them  from  their  children, 

Showing  to  the  generation  to  come  the  praises  of  the  LORD, 
And  his  strength,  and  his  wonderful  works  that  he  hath 
done. 

5  For  he  established  a  testimony  in  Jacob, 
And  appointed  a  law  in  Israel, 
Which  he  commanded  our  fathers, 

That  they  should  make  them  known  to  their  children : 

6  That  the  generation  to  come  might  know  them, 
Even  the  children  which  should  be  born ; 

Who  should  arise  and  declare  them  to  THEIR  children : 

7  That  they  might  set  their  hope  in  God, 
And  not  forget  the  works  of  God, 

But  keep  his  commandments: 

8  And  might  not  be  as  their  fathers, 

A  stubborn  and  rebellious  generation; 

A  generation  that  set  not  their  heart  aright, 

And  whose  spirit  was  not  steadfast  with  God. 

9  The  children  of  Ephraim,  being  armed  and  carrying  bows, 
Turned  back  in  the  day  of  battle. 

10  They  kept  not  the  covenant  of  God, 
And  refused  to  walk  in  his  law ; 

11  And  forgat  his  works, 

And  his  wonders  that  he  had  showed  them. 

12  Marvellous  things  did  he  in  the  sight  of  their  fathers, 
In  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  the  field  of  Zoan. 

13  He  divided  the  sea,  and  caused  them  to  pass  through ; 
And  he  made  the  waters  to  stand  as  an  heap. 


PSALM  LXXVIII.  327 

14  In  the  daytime  also  he  led  them  with  a  cloud, 
And  all  the  night  with  a  light  of  fire, 

15  He  clave  the  rocks  in  the  wilderness, 

And  gave  them  drink  as  out  of  the  great  depths. 

16  He  brought  streams  also  out  of  the  rock, 
And  caused  waters  to  run  down  like  rivers. 

17  And  they  sinned  yet  more  against  him 

By  provoking  the  Most  High  in  the  wilderness. 

18  And  they  tempted  God  in  their  heart 
By  asking  meat  for  their  lust. 

19  Yea,  they  spake  against  God; 

They  said,  "  Can  God  furnish  a  table  in  the  wilderness  ? 

20  Behold,  he  smote  the  rock,  that  the  waters  gushed  out, 
And  the  streams  overflowed; 

Can  he  give  bread  also  ? 

Can  he  provide  flesh  for  his  people?  " 

21  Therefore  the  LORD  heard  this,  and  was  wroth : 
So  a  fire  was  kindled  against  Jacob, 

And  anger  also  came  up  against  Israel : 

22  Because  they  believed  not  in  God, 
And  trusted  not  in  his  salvation : 

23  Though  he  had  commanded  the  clouds  from  above, 
And  opened  the  doors  of  heaven, 

24  And  had  rained  down  manna  upon  them  to  eat, 
And  had  given  them  of  the  corn  of  heaven. 

25  Man  did  eat  the  bread  of  the  mighty : 
He  sent  them  meat  to  the  full. 

26  He  caused  an  east  wind  to  blow  in  the  heaven : 
And  by  his  power  he  brought  in  the  south  wind. 

27  He  rained  flesh  also  upon  them  as  dust, 

And  feathered  fowls  like  as  the  sand  of  the  sea : 

28  And  he  let  it  fall  in  the  midst  of  their  camp, 
Round  about  their  habitations. 

29  So  they  did  eat  and  were  well  filled : 
For  he  gave  them  their  own  desire. 

30  They  were  not  estranged  from  their  lust. 
But  while  their  meat  was  yet  in  their  mouths, 

31  The  wrath  of  God  came  upon  them, 
And  slew  the  fattest  of  them, 

And  smote  down  the  young  men  of  Israel. 

32  For  all  this  they  sinned  still, 

And  believed  not  for  his  wondrous  works. 


328  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

33  Therefore  their  days  did  he  consume  in  vanity, 
And  their  years  in  trouble. 

34  When  he  slew  them,  then  they  sought  him: 
And  they  returned  and  inquired  early  after  God. 

35  And  they  remembered  that  God  was  their  rock, 
And  the  high  God  their  redeemer. 

36  Nevertheless  they  did  flatter  him  with  their  mouth, 
And  they  lied  unto  him  with  their  tongues. 

37  For  their  heart  was  not  right  with  him, 
Neither  were  they  steadfast  in  his  covenant. 

38  But,  he  being  full  of  compassion,  forgave  their  iniquity, 
And  destroyed  them  not : 

Yea,  many  a  time  turned  he  his  anger  away, 
And  did  not  stir  up  all  his  wrath. 

39  For  he  remembered  that  they  were  but  flesh; 

A  wind  that  passeth  away  and  cometh  not  again. 

40  How  oft  did  they  provoke  him  in  the  wilderness, 
And  grieve  him  in  the  desert? 

41  Yea,  they  turned  back  and  tempted  God, 
And  limited  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

42  They  remembered  not  his  hand, 

Nor  the  day  when  he  delivered  them  from  the  enemy. 

43  How  he  had  wrought  his  signs  in  Egypt, 
And  his  wonders  in  the  field  of  Zoan : 

44  And  had  turned  their  rivers  into  blood ; 
And  their  floods,  that  they  could  not  drink. 

45  He  sent  divers  sorts  of  flies  among  them,  which  devoured 

them: 
And  frogs,  which  destroyed  them. 

46  He  gave  also  their  increase  unto  the  caterpillar, 
And  their  labour  unto  the  locust. 

47  He  destroyed  their  vines  with  hail, 
And  their  sycamore  trees  with  frost. 

48  He  gave  up  their  cattle  also  to  the  hail, 
And  their  flocks  to  flashes  of  lightning. 

49  He  cast  upon  them  the  fierceness  of  his  anger, 
Wrath,  and  indignation,  and  trouble, 

By  sending  evil  angels  among  them. 

50  He  made  a  way  to  his  anger ; 

He  spared  not  their  soul  from  death, 
But  gave  their  life  over  to  the  pestilence ; 

51  And  smote  all  the  firstborn  in  Egypt ; 

The  chief  of  their  strength  in  the  tabernacles  of  Ham : 


PSALM  LXXVIII.  829 

52  But  made  his  own  people  to  go  forth  like  sheep, 
And  guided  them  in  the  wilderness  like  a  flock. 

53  And  he  led  them  on  safely,  so  that  they  feared  not : 
But  the  sea  covered  their  enemies. 

54  And  he  brought  them  to  the  border  of  his  holiness, 
Even   to  this   mountain   (or,  "mountainous   country") 

which  his  right  hand  had  purchased. 

55  He  cast  out  the  heathen  also  before  them, 
And  divided  them  an  inheritance  by  line, 

And  made  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  dwell  in  their  tents. 

56  Yet  they  tempted  and  provoked  the  most  high  God, 
And  kept  not  his  testimonies : 

5T  But  turned  back,  and  dealt  unfaithfully  like  their  fathers : 
They  were  turned  aside  like  a  deceitful  bow. 

58  For  they  provoked  him  to  anger  with  their  high  places, 
And  moved  him  to  jealousy  with  their  graven  images. 

59  When  God  heard  this,  he  was  wroth, 
And  greatly  abhorred  Israel : 

60  So  that  he  forsook  the  tabernacle  of  Shiloh, 
The  tent  which  he  placed  among  men ; 

61  And  delivered  his  strength  into  captivity, 
And  his  glory  into  the  enemy's  hand. 

62  He  gave  his  people  over  also  unto  the  sword ; 
And  was  wroth  with  his  inheritance. 

63  The  fire  consumed  their  young  men ; 

And  their  maidens  were  not  given  to  marriage. 

64  And  their  priests  fell  by  the  sword ; 
And  their  widows  made  no  lamentation. 

65  Then  the  Lord  awaked  as  one  out  of  sleep, 

And  like  a  mighty  man  that  shouteth  by  reason  of  wine. 

66  And  he  smote  his  enemies  in  the  hinder  part : 
He  put  them  to  a  perpetual  reproach. 

67  Moreover  he  refused  the  tabernacle  of  Joseph, 
And  chose  not  the  tribe  of  Ephraim : 

68  But  chose  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
The  mount  Zion  which  he  loved. 

69  And  he  built  his  sanctuary  like  the  heights  of  heaven, 
Like  the  earth  which  he  hath  established  for  ever. 

70  He  chose  David  also  his  servant, 
And  took  him  from  the  sheepfolds: 

71  From  following  the  ewes  great  with  young 
He  brought  him  to  feed  Jacob  his  people, 
And  Israel  his  inheritance. 

28* 


330  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

72  So  he  fed  them  according  to  the  integrity  of  his  heart; 
And  guided  them  by  the  skilfulness  of  his  hands. 

V.  1 — 4.  The  Psalmist  appears  before  the  people  as  an 
exhorter,  who  addresses  instructive  sentences  to  them,  the  historic 
narratives  being  at  the  same  time  living  instructions.  His  object 
is  to  give  instruction  concerning  the  praise,  the  power,  the  glory, 
and  the  miracles  of  God. 

F.  5 — 8.  He  justifies  his  exhortation  by  a  reference  to  the 
Divine  commandment,  which  enacts  the  transmission  of  all  the 
laws  and  commandments  of  God  from  the  mouth  of  the  fathers  to 
their  children  and  grandchildren,  (Deut.  iv.  9;  x.  6,  7;  Exod. 
xii.  26,)  with  the  twofold  object  of  immortalizing  among  them  the 
commandments  and  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  of  furnishing  in 
the  rebellion  and  inconstancy  of  their  ancestors  perpetual  examples 
of  warning.  For  if  among  the  children  of  this  world,  the  example 
and  education  of  the  parents  produce  a  generation  who  go  even 
more  astray  from  God  than  their  fathers,  so  among  the  children  of 
God  ought  penitent  parents,  by  the  recollection  of  their  experience 
and  sinfulness,  to  warn  their  posterity,  and  thus  lead  them  to 
greater  holiness. 

V.  9 — 12.  Ephraim  especially  needed  that  instruction.  In 
the  day  of  battle  they  had  been  like  bow-men  who  did  not  stand 
their  ground.  This  figure,  like  that  in  verse  57,  indicates  their 
faithfulness  in  the  cause  of  God.  The  miracles  of  God  in  Egypt 
are  not  enumerated  here ;  their  enumeration  begins  with  verse  43. 
Egypt  is  here  called  the  field  of  Zoan.  Zoan  was  the  capital  of 
Lower  Egypt,  about  twenty-five  miles  distant  from  the  land  of 
Goshen.  In  its  place  there  remains  to  the  present  day  the  village 
of  San.  It  is  not  mentioned  as  an  ancient  and  large  city  in  the 
narrative  of  the  miracles  in  Egypt,  though  reference  is  made  to  it 
in  Numb.  xiii.  22. 

V.  13.  The  Psalmist  now  meditates  on  the  miraculous  exode 
of  the  children  of  Israel.  The  Scriptures  state  that  Divine  provi- 
dence employed  a  natural  means,  namely,  an  east  wind,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  that  miracle.  North-west  winds  are  very  com- 
mon to  that  locality.  The  Red  Sea  terminates  above  Suez,  in  a  bay 
where  there  is  not  more  than  a  mile's  distance  between  the  oppo- 
site shores,  and  even  below  Suez  the  distance  does  not  exceed 
three  miles;  at  low  water  several  depths  of  that  locality  get  quite 
dry.  Now  the  Israelites  were  marching  just  in  the  direction  of 
Suez,  and  we  may  conceive  that  at  the  word  of  Moses,  a  wind  from 
the  east  or  from  the  north-east  dried  the  sea  at  low  water  just  in 
that  neighbourhood,  while  the  flood  above  Suez  was  repressed  into 
the  bay,  and  below  Suez  into  the  sea.  Israel,  therefore,  marched 
as  it  were  between  two  walls  of  water,  while  at  day-break  the 
waters  which  had  been  repressed  into  the  bay  burst  forth  with 


PSALM  LXXVIII.  331 

renewed  force  upon  the  pursuing  hosts  of  Pharaoh.*  The  remem- 
brance of  this  marvellous  event  has  also  been  preserved  by  Greek 
writers. f 

F.  14 — 16.  In  ancient  times  and  even  now,  men  carrying 
poles  to  which  are  attached  vessels  filled  with  fire,  precede  armies 
and  caravans,  as  leaders  and  guides.  J  God  condescending  to  a 
sensuous  people,  became  himself  their  guide,  and  gave  them  a 
sensible  token  of  his  protection.  On  the  exode  he  made  the  waters 
stand  like  walls — in  the  desert  he  turned  the  rocks  into  water- 
springs,  (Exod.  xvii.  6,)  satisfying  man  and  beast  with  their  copi- 
ous supply.  (Numb.  xx.  11.) 

F.  17 — 20.  In  fresh  remembrance  of  such  unusual  testimonies 
of  Divine  condescension,  deprived  of  all  human  aid  in  the  waste 
wilderness,  and  depending  on  God  alone,  they  dared  to  provoke  in 
shameless  unbelief  Him  on  whose  bounty  alone  they  depended. 
(Cf.  Psalm  cvi.)  They  had  been  miraculously  preserved  by  the 
supply  of  manna :  the  low  crowd  of  the  Egyptians,  that  had  come 
out  with  them,  began  to  lust  after  the  diet  to  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  in  Egypt,  and  Israel  became  seduced  by  them. 
(Numb.  xi.  4.)§  After  all  their  experience,  they  doubt  the  Divine 
omnipotence,  (Ps.  cvi.  12,  13,)  as  if  it  were  to  be  regarded  as 
nothing,  when  it  refused  to  gratify  their  lusts.  Unbelief  is  so 
deeply  rooted  in  the  human  heart,  that  when  God  performs  mira- 
cles on  earthy  unbelief  doubts  whether  he  can  perform  them  in 
heaven,  and  when  he  does  them  in  heaven,  whether  he  can  do 
them  on  earth?  (Cf.  Matt.  xvi.  1.) 

F.  21,  22.  The  fire  was  a  real  fire.  The  manifestations  of 
Divine  wrath  are  as  sensible  and  unmistakeable  as  are  those  of  his 
love:  it  is  recorded  in  Numb.  xii.  how  God  revealed  his  majesty, 
which  a  rude  nation  had  insulted.  The  Psalmist  makes  a  literal 
reference  to  that  event.  The  anger  of  God  arose  because  they 
Would  not  believe  in  him.  Doubting  his  omnipotence  is  tanta- 
mount to  robbing  God  of  his  honour;  hence  it  is  said  of  Abraham 
that  because  he  was  strong  in  faith  he  gave  to  God  the  honour  due 
to  him.  (Rom.  iv.  20.) 

*  Cf.  Niebuhr's  Description  of  Arabia,  p.  410,  with  the  map  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Suez  in  Robinson's  Palestine,  i.  p.  90,  etc.  and  Von  Raumer's 
Exode  of  the  Israelites,  1837,  p.  16,  where  the  view  is  defended  that  the 
passage  took  place  more  to  the  south,  where  the  sea  is  fifteen  miles  in 
Width. 

f  Diod.  Sic.  iii.  39,  Artapanus  in  Euseb.  prsep.  ev.  ix.  27. 

J  Rosenmiiller,  The  Ancient  and  Modern  East,  ii.  p.  4. 

|  The  people  were  by  no  means  confined  to  the  manna :  they  had  cattle, 
and  when  they  passed  along  the  sea-shore,  fish:  they  could  also  cultivate  the 
soil,  since  during  the  forty  years  they  resided  for  a  considerable  time  in 
several  places.  October  sowing  is  fit  for  reaping  in  April.  But  all  this 
was  not  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  the  mass  of  the  nation,  and  Numb.  xi.  22, 
points  to  this  fact. 


332  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

/r 

F.  23 — 25.  The  manna  with  which  the  people  were  fed  is 
called  here,  "  The  bread  of  heaven,"  because  descending  as  it  were 
from  the  hand  of  God,  it  was  found  mixed  with  the  dew  on  the 
land:  it  is  called  "the  bread  of  the  mighty/'  i.  e.  of  the  noble, 
because  it  was  a  tender  and  delicious  food,  which  to  this  day  con- 
tinues a  favourite  dish  of  the  Eastern  nobility.  Divine  providence 
seems  in  this  case  again  to  have  employed  a  natural  means  in  a 
supernatural  manner.  For  down  to  the  present  day,  manna  is  a 
well-known  natural  produce  in  the  South  of  Italy,  and  the  East  in 
particular.  It  is  a  sweet  gum-like  juice,  which  at  sunrise  in  the 
shape  of  dried  granules,  just  like  the  manna  in  the  wilderness,  is 
found  in  some  parts  on  the  leaves,  in  others  on  the  boughs  and 
trunks  of  certain  trees,  and  is  consumed  in  the  East  as  a  delicacy, 
but  unknown  to  cause  any  medicinal  effects.  Now  this  produce, 
known  as  manna,  has  different  qualities  in  different  localities,  and 
is  found  under  different  circumstances,  and  the  qualities  of  the 
manna  of  the  Israelites  do  not  exactly  correspond  to  any  of  the 
mannas  which  are  known  to  us.  The  disparity  consists  chiefly  in 
this,  that  in  the  days  of  Moses  manna  was  found  all  the  year  round, 
while  the  modern  manna  obtains  only  for  some  months,  the  former 
on  the  earth,  mixed  with  dew,  the  modern  on  trees,  and  but  very 
seldom  on  the  ground.  It  has  been  supposed  on  that  account,  that 
the  ancient  manna  was  produced  by  the  exhalations  of  plants, 
which  fell  with  the  dew  to  the  earth,  as  several  travellers  have 
found  that  the  dew  in  the  East  is  sweet  and  sticky.  All  things 
considered,  it  is  clear  that  nature  now  yields  a  produce  only  similar 
to  that  which  Providence  then  supplied  in  a  supernatural  manner. 
The  natural  appearance  of  manna  depends  upon  varying  circum- 
stances, since  in  our  times  it  is  but  rarely  met  with,  and  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sinai  frequently  only  after  an  interval  of  five  or 
six  years.* 

V.  26 — 31.  It  is  not  uncommon  that  large  numbers  of  quails, 
which  come  across  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Persian  Gulf,  are 
found  in  Arabia  and  Egypt.f  Since  the  Psalmist  speaks  of  a 
south-east  wind,  the  birds  probably  came  from  the  Persian  Gulf 
through  Southern  Arabia  to  Sinai;  the  statement  of  Moses  that 
they  fell  down  in  heaps,  is  confirmed  by  the  fact,  that  those  awk- 
wardly flying  birds  lose  their  strength  by  a  passage  across  the  sea. 
The  judgment  of  God  subsequent  to  the  gratification  of  their  insa- 
tiable lust  presents  a  warning  example.  God  in  his  anger  will 
sometimes  hear  the  foolish  prayers  of  men,  while  the  real  and  mer- 
ciful granting  of  our  petitions  often  consists  in  this,  that  Provi- 

*  Cf.  esp.  Rosemn  tiller's  Bibl.  Natur.  History,  i.  p.  316,  etc.  and  Von 
Raumer's  Exode  of  the  Israelites. 

f  Vide  Josephus,  Diodorus  Siculus,  and  modern  travellers  in  Rosemntil- 
ler's  Schol.  in  Exodum.  chap.  16. 


PSALM   LXXVIII.  333 

* 

dence  supplies  something  different  from  what  we  had  prayed  for. 
The  Divine  indignation  fell  also  upon  the  strength  and  the  youth 
of  Israel,  to  show  that  the  strong  could  not  in  reliance  upon  their 
strength  presume  to  measure  themselves  with  God,  or  to  rebel 
against  him.  (Ps.  cxlvii.  10,  11.) 

F.  32,  33.  The  miracles  of  the  wrath,  no  less  than  those  of  the 
mercy  of  God,  however,  made  hardly  any  impression  upon  them, 
so  that  the  justice  of  God  performed  its  last  judgments  in  that  not 
one  of  those  who  had  come  out  of  Egypt  should  see  the  land  of 
promise  which  God  had  sworn  to  them.  (Numb.  xiv.  28,  etc.') 

V.  34 — 37.  The  punitive  judgment  of  God  produced,  how- 
ever, some  effect:  they  came  to  themselves  for  days  and  weeks, 
when  the  strokes  of  God  fell  too  violently  upon  them:  but  where 
penitence  produced  by  fear  does  not  issue  in  a  turning  to  God  in 
faith  and  love,  it  will  last  no  longer  than  till  the  last  thunderings 
of  Divine  wrath  have  died  away.  Their  penitence  struck  no  roots. 
"  It  fell  upon  stony  ground,  and  because  it  had  no  root  it  withered 
away/'  The  Psalmist  had  spoken  (v.  8,)  of  the  apvstacy  and  dis- 
obedience of  the  people;  he  now  speaks  of  their  changeability  and 
the  untrustiness  of  their  repentance. 

V.  38,  39.  Who  can  forbear  trembling  on  meditating  upon  the 
various  scourges  of  God  which  are  already  now  in  the  world,  while 
we  live  in  the  time  of  longsuffering,  where  God  desires  to  lead  sin- 
ners through  mercy  to  repentance?  If  now  the  cup  of  wrath  is 
only  poured  out  half,  what  will  it  be  when  it  shall  be  wholly  emp- 
tied ?  The  Psalmist  says  that  in  spite  of  all  the  punishments  on 
the  people  in  the  wilderness,  God  did  not  stir  up  all  his  wrath,  but 
exerted  his  sparing  mercy.  In  his  wisdom  and  goodness  he  has 
made  provision  for  the  temptations  and  difficulties  which  surround 
helpless  and  needy  mortals :  he  is  not  the  hard  master  who  would 
reap  where  he  has  not  sown.  (Matt.  xxv.  24.) 

F.  40 — 43.  Moses,  (Numb.  xiv.  22,)  speaks  often  great  tempt- 
ings  of  God  in  the  wilderness,  which  were  reprehensible  in  propor- 
tion to  the  miraculous  assistance  of  God,  and  the  unfailing  certainty 
with  which  temporal  transgression  was  succeeded  by  temporal  pun- 
ishment. The  Psalmist  now  reverts  to  the  miracles  in  Egypt,  to 
which  he  had  made  allusion  in  v.  12. 

F.  44 — 51.  The  miracles  of  Egypt,  the  ten  plagues,  of  which 
the  Psalmist  enumerates  only  a  few,  were  natural  phenomena  as 
they  occur  in  that  country  in  this  day;  but  in  the  days  of  Moses 
they  had  miraculously  accumulated  and  intensified,  that  Pharaoh 
should  know,  that  not  he  in  his  pride,  but  Jehovah,  was  the  true 
king  of  Egypt,  vide  Exod.  viii.  22.  The  waters  of  the  river  Nile, 
the  usually  sweet  drink  of  the  Egyptians,  turn  at  a  certain  season 
of  the  year  reddish,  like  blood,  (Joel  iii.  4  shows  that  the  reference 
is  only  to  the  colour  of  blood;)  and  though  the  waters  usually  con- 
tinue drinkable  in  that  condition,  yet  they  became  loathsome  to  the 
taste  of  the  Egyptians.  Musquitoes,  which  under  ordinary  circum- 


334  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

• 

stances  area  great  plague  in  Egypt,  and  frogs,  multiplied;  locusts, 
which  are  less  frequent,  destroyed  the  crops;  terrific  tempests, 
accompanied  by  hail,  discharged  upon  the  cattle,  the  vineyards, 
and  trees,  while  the  pestilence  slayed  the  firstborn.* 

Y.  52 — 55.  The  weak  nation,  accustomed  to  the  work  of  slaves, 
would  never  have  freed  themselves  by  the  force  of  arms.  God 
himself  led  them  forth  as  a  shepherd  does  his  flock.  He  gave  them 
sensible  evidence  that  he  was  marching  before  them,  and  yet  they 
were  afraid,  as  we  read  Exod.  xiv.  11;  but  that  fear  sprung  from 
their  unfathomable  unbelief.  Nevertheless,  the  mercy  of  the  God 
of  Abraham  brought  their  descendants  into  the  land  of  promise, 
that  mountainous  country  which  was  the  object  of  Joshua's  long- 
ing.f 

F.  56—58.  The  Psalmist  speaks  of  the  second  generation,  (Of. 
ad.  verse  33,)  but  instead  of  being  warned  by  the  example  of  their 
fathers,  they  imitated  it.  The  Psalmist  refers  especially  to  the 
times  of  the  Judges,  when  the  large  mass  of  the  nation  reverted  to 
idolatry,  set  up  idols,  and  idolatrous  high  places,  unmindful  of  the 
words  of  Moses.  (Lev.  xxvi.  30,  cf.  with  Numb,  xxxiii.  52.) 

V.  59 — 61.  Ephraim,  Manasseh,  and  Benjamin,  used  already 
in  the  wilderness  to  march  immediately  behind  the  sanctuary, 
(Numb.  x.  21—24;  ii.  18—24;  Psalm.  Ixxx.  3;)  and  when  the 
nation  came  to  rest,  the  sanctuary  was  placed  at  Shiloh,  in  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim.  Israel  marched  against  their  enemies  under  the 
banner  of  Ephraim,  and  the  ignominy  of  Israel  fell  also  on  Ephraim' s 
head;  and  Ephraim  deserted  the  ark  of  the  covenant.  Terror 
seized  upon  the  Philistines  when  they  heard  that  the  ark  had 
marched  out  against  them.  When  the  news  reached  them  they 
exclaimed,  "Woe  unto  us!  who  shall  deliver  us  out  of  the  hand  of 
these  mighty  gods?  These  are  the  gods  that  smote  the  Egyptians 
with  all  the  plagues  in  the  wilderness!"  But  the  banner  of 
Fphraim  gave  way,  and  the  ark  of  the  covenant  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Philistines.  (1  Sam.  iv.) 

Y.  62 — 64.  Then  followed  the  humiliation  of  the  whole  nation, 
as  it  is  described  in  the  books  of  Samuel.  The  high-priests  Hophni 
and  Phinehas  died  in  that  battle,  in  which  thirty  thousand  men  of 
Israel  fell.  The  widow  of  Phinehas  died  of  terror,  and  her  last 
words  were,  "  The  glory  is  departed  from  Israel,  because  the  ark  of 
God  is  taken."  (1  Sam.  iv.  21,  22;  Job.  xxvii.  15.) 

V.  65 — 68.  Then  the  Lord,  like  a  hero  awaking  refreshed  from 
sleep,  once  more  protected  the  nation  under  David,  to  avenge  the 

*  Cf.  Hengstenberg's  Moses  and  Egypt,  p.  93,  etc.  Rosenmtiller's 
Ancient  and  Modern  East,  vol.  i.  p.  275,  etc. 

f  Deut.  iii.  25.  Though  Israel  did  not  at  once  upon  their  possession  of 
the  country  take  Mount  Zion,  the  reference  may  be  to  Mount  Zion  as  the 
ultimate  goal  of  the  possession  of  the  whole  country.  It  is,  however,  bet- 
ter to  regard  fit  as  in  Psalm  Ixviii.  9;  civ.  25,  and  ^ft,  as  is  often  the  case 
in  the  sense  of  a  mountain  range. 


PSALM   LXXIX.  835 

ancient  reproach  of  the  Philistines.     But  he  chose  him  a  new  tribe 
and  a  new  dwelling-place. 

Y.  69 — 72.  Sublime  as  in  the  heavens,  and  established  like  the 
earth  upon  eternal  rocks,  he  fixed  his  sanctuary  on  that  hill  of 
which  the  prophets  afterwards  said,  that  "it  should  be  exalted 
above  the  hills,  and  that  all  nations  should  flow  unto  it."  (Isaiah 
ii.  2.)  The  faithful  shepherd  of  his  flocks  of  sheep,  who  tenderly 
cared  for  the  suckling  ewes,  was  called  to  become  the  shepherd 
of  men.  (So  1  Chron.  xviii.  7.)  He  now  feeds  his  people,  as  once 
he  fed  his  flocks  with  faithfulness  and  his  sheep  with  diligence. 
He  who  fears  the  works  and  the  ways  of  the  Lord  is  sure  to 
acknowledge  him. 


PSALM  LXXIX. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint,  composed  in  the  days  of  Israel's  calamity. 
Though  the  burning  and  destruction  of  the  temple  are  not  speci- 
fied as  in  Psalm  Ixxiv.  the  reference  is  nevertheless  to  the  same 
event,  and  the  composition  of  the  poem  must  have  taken  place 
after  the  consummation  of  the  calamity  that  had  come  upon  the 
city,  for  Jerusalem  is  said  to  have  become  a  heap  of  stones,  (v.  1,) 
the  whole  country  laid  waste,  (v.  7,)  and  neighbouring  nations  to 
have  taken  vengeance  upon  Israel,  (v.  12.)  The  spoiling  of  the 
temple  by  Nebuchadnezzar  had  taken  place  in  the  reigns  of  Jehoia- 
kim  and  Jeconiah,  and  the  country  had  greatly  suffered  from  the 
invasions  of  the  foe.  But  a  destruction  like  that  which  is  implied 
in  the  phraseology  of  the  present  psalm  had  not  occurred  at  that 
time,  since  Nebuchadnezzar  only  carried  off  the  innocent  Jeconiah 
and  established  in  his  stead  his  uncle  Zedekiah  as  tributary  king, 
that  Israel  might  continue  in  vassalage.  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  Ixxiv.  and  xliv.) 
Deeply  alive  to  the  degradation  of  Israel  by  heathen  nations,  the 
Psalmist  describes  the  sufferings  of  this  nation  and  of  the  holy  city 
in  particular,  (v.  1 — 4;)  he  invokes  the  punitive  judgment  of  God 
upon  the  heathen,  and  his  forgiving  mercy  upon  the  sins  of  his 
nation,  (v.  5 — 9 ;)  he  presumes  to  remind  the  Lord  that  the  igno- 
miny of  the  nation  is  his  own,  and  demands  a  due  requital.  He 
jromises  to  God  songs  of  praise  such  as  none  other  than  his  own 
people  are  able  to  render,  (v.  10 — 13.) 


A 


PSALM  of  Asaph. 


0  God,  the  heathen  are  come  into  thine  inheritance; 
Thy  holy  temple  have  they  defiled ; 
They  have  laid  Jerusalem  on  heaps. 


336  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

2  The  dead  bodies  of  thy  servants  have  they  given 
To  be  meat  unto  the  fowls  of  the  heaven, 

The  flesh  of  thy  saints 
Unto  the  beasts  of  the  earth. 

3  Their  blood  have  they  shed  like  water  round  about  Jeru- 

salem ; 
And  there  was  none  to  bury  them. 

4  We  are  become  a  reproach  to  our  neighbours, 

A  scorn  and  derision  to  them  that  are  round  about  us. 

5  How  long,  LORD  ?  wilt  thou  be  angry  for  ever  ? 
Shall  thy  zeal  burn  like  fire  ? 

6  Pour  out  thy  wrath  upon  the  heathen  that  have  not 

known  thee. 

And  upon  the  kingdoms  that  have  not  called  upon  thy 
name. 

7  For  they  have  devoured  Jacob, 
And  laid  waste  his  dwelling  place. 

8  0  remember  not  against  us  former  iniquities: 
Let  thy  tender  mercies  speedily  prevent  us : 
For  we  are  brought  very  low. 

9  Help  us,  0  God  of  our  salvation, 
For  the  glory  of  thy  name : 

And  deliver  us,  and  purge  away  our  sins, 
For  thy  name's  sake. 

10  Wherefore  should  the  heathen  say,  Where  is  their  God? 
Let  there  be  known  among  the  heathen  in  our  sight 
The  avenging  of  the  blood  of  thy  servants  which  is  shed. 

11  Let  the  sighing  of  the  prisoner  come  before  thee ; 
According  to  the  greatness  of  thy  power 
Preserve  the  children  of  death : 

12  And  render  unto  our  neighbours  sevenfold  into  their  bosom 
Their  reproach,  wherewith  they  have  reproached  thee,  0 

Lord. 

13  So  we  thy  people  and  sheep  of  thy  pasture 
Will  give  thee  thanks  for  ever : 

We  will  show  forth  thy  praise  to  all  generations. 

V.  1 — 4.  Not  in  common  warfare  but  with  unheard-of  fury  had 
the  heathen  done  outrage  to  the  holy  places  and  their  inhabitants. 
In  their  arrogance  they  regarded  the  possession  of  God  as  their 
own.  They  treated  the  temple  as  if  He  had  ceased  to  exist  to 
whose  honour  it  had  been  built.  Not  content  with  the  massacre 
of  the  servants  of  the  God  of  Israel;  they  refused  to  them  the  last 


PSALM  LXXX.  337 

honours,  in  leaving  their  corpses  unburied  as  meat  for  the  birds  of 
prey  and  jackals.  Neighbouring  nations,  who  had  for  centuries 
been  the  witnesses  that  Israel  had  the  Lord  for  their  Shepherd, 
raised  the  voice  of  derision,  which  with  the  people  fell  also  upon 
their  God. 

V.  5 — 9.  Their  degradation  had  continued  unpunished  for  some 
time  already.  Shall  the  heathen  not  now  as  in  days  of  old  be 
brought  to  the  knowledge  that  the  King  of  kings  is  ruler  in  Israel  ? 
The  Psalmist  is  nevertheless  aware  that  the  heathen  are  only  instru- 
ments in  the  hands  of  the  Lord.  He  therefore  prays  for  forgive- 
ness of  the  sins  of  the  nation,  who  not  only  on  account  of  present 
iniquity,  but  on  account  of  the  transgression  of  their  ancestors,  had 
deserved  the  visitation  of  Divine  anger.  He  prays  for  deliverance 
not  on  account  of  any  merits  or  virtues  which  they  possess — but  for 
his  name's  sake,  for  his  name's  sake. 

V.  10 — 13.  When  God  has  so  intertwined  his  name  with  that 
of  his  people,  and  his  own  honour  so  intimately  interwoven  with 
the  history  of  his  people,  as  in  the  case  of  Israel,  does  it  not  follow, 
that  the  destiny  of  his  nation  affects  the  honour  of  his  name  ?  The 
Psalmist  cannot  resist  the  desire  that  the  shed  blood  should  not 
remain  unavenged.  The  sighing  of  the  prisoners  (cf.  ad.  Ps. 
Ixix.  34)  is  too  piteous,  and  those  that  are  left  have  almost  fallen 
a  prey  to  death.  The  heathen  nations  had  used  the  language  of 
derision  and  aided  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  (Ezek.  xxv.  12, 
etc.]  Jer.  xlvii.;  Obad.  10,  etc.]  Ps.  cxvii.;)  in  reproaching  Israel 
they  had  reproached  the  Covenant-God  of  Israel.  The  Psalmist  in 
praying  for  the  requital  of  their  reproach,  supplicates  the  vindica- 
tion of  his  God.  When  other  nations  are  delivered  from  a  degrading 
condition  they  praise  their  fate  or  dumb  idols.  Israel  only  knows 
who  is  their  Shepherd,  to  whom  they  owe  their  pasture,  therefore 
Israel  promises,  if  spared  through  their  present  night  of  tribulation, 
to  show  forth  the  praises  of  the  living  God. 


PSALM  LXXX. 

A  SONG  of  complaint,  composed  at  a  time  when  the  worst  had  not 
yet  happened  to  Israel,  but  when  various  heathen  nations  were 
wasting  the  country:  we  cannot  determine  whether  its  composition 
took  place  in  the  days  of  the  idolatrous  monarchs  before  Josiah,  or 
in  the  period  of  tribulation  before  the  reign  of  Zedekiah. 

The  author  of  this  beautiful  psalm  recalls  the  times  of  old,  when 
29 


338  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  Lord  used  to  march  before  his  people,  on  their  going  out  to 
battle,  (v.  2 — 4.)  But  in  the  present  time,  tears  are  the  meat 
and  drink  of  the  nation,  which  alternately  falls  into  the  hands  of 
neighbours  or  of  the  foe,  (v.  5—8;)  and  yet  the  Lord  himself  had 
miraculously  planted  that  vine  and  given  it  room  to  spread. 
Why  should  it  now  be  undermined  by  wild  beasts?  (v.  9—15.) 
Shall  its  planter  quietly  look  on,  when  it  is  treated  like  a  weed? 

(v.  16 20.)      Each  strophe  concludes  with  emphatic  cries  for 

deliverance. 

the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  "the  lilies  of  the 
law,"  A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 

2  Give  ear,  0  Shepherd  of  Israel, 
Thou  that  leadest  Joseph  like  a  flock ; 

3  Thou  that  dwellest  between  the  cherubim,  shine  forth. 
Before  Ephraim,  and  Benjamin,  and  Manasseh,  stir  up 

thy  strength, 
And  come  and  save  us. 

4  TURN  us  AGAIN,  0  Gop,  AND  CAUSE  THY  FACE  TO  SHINE  ; 

AND   WE    SHALL   BE    SAVED. 

5  0  LORD  God  of  hosts, 

How  long  wilt  thou  be  angry  against  the  prayer  of  thy 
people  ? 

6  Thou  feedest  them  with  the  bread  of  tears  ? 
And  givest  them  tears  to  drink  in  great  measure. 

7  Thou  makest  us  a  strife  unto  our  neighbours : 
And  our  enemies  laugh  among  themselves. 

8  TURN  us  AGAIN,  0  GOD  OF  HOSTS, 

AND    CAUSE   THY   FACE   TO    SHINE;    AND   WE    SHALL    BE 
SAVED. 

9  Thou  hast  brought  a  vine  out  of  Egypt : 
Thou  hast  cast  out  the  heathen,  and  planted  it. 

10  Thou  preparedst  room  before  it, 
And  didst  cause  it  to  ta*ke  deep  root, 
And  it  filled  the  land. 

11  The  hills  were  covered  with  the  shadow  of  it, 

And  the  boughs  thereof  were  like  the  cedars  of  God. 

12  She  sent  out  her  boughs  unto  the  sea, 

And  her  branches  unto  the  river  (Euphrates.) 

13  Why  hast  thou  then  broken  down  her  hedges, 

So  that  all  they  which  pass  by  the  way  do  pluck  her  ? 

14  The  boar  out  of  the  wood  doth  waste  it ; 
And  the  wild  beast  of  the  field  doth  devour  it. 


PSALM  LXXX.  339 

15  RETURN,  WE  BESEECH  THEE,  0  GOD  OF  HOSTS: 
LOOK   DOWN  FROM  HEAVEN,  AND  BEHOLD,  AND  VISIT 

THIS  VINE. 

16  And  protect  that  which  thy  right  hand  hath  planted, 
And  the  branch  (or,  "the  son")  that  thou  madest  strong 

for  thyself. 

17  It  is  burned  with  fire,  it  is  cut  down: 

They  perish  at  the  rebuke  of  thy  countenance. 

18  Let  thy  hand  be  upon  the  man  of  thy  right  hand, 
Upon  the  son  of  mam  whom  thou  madest  strong  for  thyself. 

19  So  will  not  we  go  back  from  thee: 
Quicken  us,  and  we  will  call  upon  thy  name. 

20  TURN  us  AGAIN,  0  LORD  GOD  OF  HOSTS, 

CAUSE   THY  FACE   TO    SHINE,  AND   WE   SHALL   BE  SAVED. 

V.  2 — 4.  The  Psalmist  prays  for  the  return  of  the  glorious 
days  of  old,  when  the  ark  of  the  Lord  headed  the  armies  of  his 
people;  he  therefore  calls  the  God  of  Israel  the  Shepherd  who 
goes  before  his  flock.  Joseph  stands  for  Israel.  (Ps.  Ixxvii.  16; 
Ixxxi.  6;  Obad.  18.)  The  three  tribes  of  Ephraim,  Manasseh, 
and  Benjamin,  the  three  sons  of  Rachel,  (Numb.  ii.  18 — 24; 
x.  21 — 2,4,)  went  immediately  behind  the  ark.  Whenever  the  ark 
arose  against  the  enemy,  (Numb.  x.  35,)  Moses  used  to  exclaim, 
"Rise  up,  Lord,  and  let  thine  enemies  be  scattered;  and  let  them 
that  hate  thee  flee  before  thee/'  The  Psalmist  repeats  this  excla- 
mation. "Cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  us,"  was  the  blessing  of 
Aaron;  the  Psalmist  prays  for  the  renewal  of  that  blessing. 

V.  5 — 8.  The  Psalmist  solemnly  addresses  God  as  the  Lord 
God  of  hosts,  because  he  supplicates  him  to  fight  for  his  people. 
Though  only  certain  numbers  of  the  chosen  servants  of  God  among 
the  people  sought  for  aid  from  heaven,  the  Psalmist  expresses 
himself  as  if  the  whole  nation  were  praying.  If  they  had  really 
sent  with  one  voice  their  prayers  to  heaven  they  would  never  have 
been  rejected,  for  great  is  the  strength  when  a  whole  nation  of  one 
accord,  as  it  were-,  like  one  man,  importunes  the  Lord  of  heaven! 
No  doubt  they  had  all  their  share  in  the  tears,  though  certainly 
not  in  the  prayers.  Their  bread  was  so  steeped  in  tears  that  they 
became  their  food,  and  so  copious  was  their  weeping  that  their 
tears  became  their  drink.  (Psalm  xlii.  4.)  He  speaks  of  their 
neighbours  and  enemies  as  if  different  nations  had  successively 
invaded  Palestine,  as  e.  g.  it  was  the  case  under  Jehoiakim: 
shortly  before  him  Pharaoh  Necho  had  conquered  Jerusalem  and 
deposed  Joash;  then  followed  the  invasion  of  Nebuchadnezzar; 
and  according  to  2  Kings  xxiv.  2,  the  Syrians,  Moabites,  and 
Ammonites  attacked  the  nation  towards  the  close  of  Jehoiakim's 
reign. 


340  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Y.  9 — 14.  The  prophets  have  often  represented  the  people  of 
God  by  the  figure  of  the  noble  vine.  (Isaiah  v.  1 — 7;  xxvii.  2 — 6; 
Jer.  xii.  10;  ii.  21;  Hos.  xiv.  8;  Ezek.  xvii.  3—10;  xix.  10.  The 
symbol  of  a  very  large  golden  vine  was  therefore  suspended  above 
the  gate  of  the  vestibule  of  the  temple.  The  noble  vine  was  taken 
from  Egypt,  and  its  culture  also  took  place  in  Lower  Egypt,  where 
the  Israelites  dwelt;  but  room  was  given  it  in  Canaan  to  grow  and 
spread.  She  sent  her  roots  far  into  the  earth,  and  her  tendrils 
high  up  to  the  skies,  so  that  she  overshadowed  mountains  and 
darkened  the  lofty  cedars.*  She  spread  abroad,  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean to  Syria,  to  the  river  Euphrates,  to  those  borders '  which 
Moses  had  promised  (Exod.  xxiii.  31,)  and  David  secured  to  the 
kingdom.  But  the  hedge  which  used  to  surround  the  vineyard  is 
now  broken  down.  (Isaiah  v.  5.)  Not  only  may  all  who  pass  by 
pluck  off  her  grapes,  but  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  come  to  des- 
troy her,  and  the  boar  undermines  the  soil. 

V.  15 — 20.  But  even  the  darkest  days  cannot  be  sufficiently 
gloomy  to  prevent  faith  retaining  the  hope  that  a  vine  which  God 
had  planted  with  so  much  tender  care  should  not  lie  near  to  his 
heart.  God  may  cause  a  people  which  he  has  brought  up  to 
endure  great  afflictions,  but  when  their  chastisement  is  consum- 
mated, he  will  once  more  vouchsafe  his  aid.  ".0  that  my  people 
had  hearkened  unto  me,  and  Israel  had  walked  in  my  ways.  I 
should  soon  have  subdued  their  enemies,  and  turned  my  hand 
against  their  adversaries/'  But  afflicted  Israel  often  forgot  that 
God  never  turns  his  hand  until  it  has  accomplished  its  end  with 
his  people.  Asaph  and  a  few  like-minded  persons  might  have 

Eromised,  that  though  chastised  by  the  rod  of  God,  they  would  not 
save  him  if  he  were  to  remove  the  rod.  But  if  only  a  few  noble 
plants  were  left  among  all  the  people,  they  were  obliged,  in  agree- 
ment with  the  Divine  arrangements,  to  share  the  stroke  which  fell 
upon  the  whole  nation,  just  as  the  single  member  must  share  the 
disease  which  affects  the  whole  body.  Believers  should  then  com- 
fort themselves  in  the  faith  that  that  which  happens  to  others  as  a 
just  recompense  is  to  them  a  corrective,  which,  provided  they  con- 
tinue in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  is  sure  to  issue  in  their  ultimate 
advantage.  We  may  then  have  the  assurance  which  is  repeatedly 
expressed  in  this  psalm,  that  the  gloomiest  and  thickest  darkness 
may  cease  at  any  moment,  that  every  wound  may  be  healed,  as 
soon  as  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance. 

*  Rosenmttller,  The  East,  iv.  89,  speaking  of  the  Persian  vines,  says, 
"The  plant  rises  to  the  loftiest  heights  above  the  highest  trees." 


PSALM  LXXXI.  341 


PSALM  LXXXI. 

A  PASSOVER  psalm,  which  contains  at  the  same  time  a  sermon  of 
God  to  his  people.  Yerse  6  shows  that  the  passover  is  meant.* 
Asaph,  the  cotemporary  of  David,  is  probably  the  author.  It  is 
very  probable  that  this  psalm  was  sung  when  the  pious  Hezekiah 
solemnized  his  large  passover  at  Jerusalem,  to  which  he  had 
actually  invited  apostate  Israel  into,  and  there  came  indeed  some 
of  Ashar,  Manasseh,  and  Zebulun,  to  worship  at  Jerusalem,  in  the 
place  which  the  Lord  had  commanded  them.  (2  Chron.  xxx.  11.) 
We  know  that  then  some  of  the  Psalms  of  David  and  of  Asaph 
were  sung,  (2  Chron.  xxix.  30 :)  and  the  address  of  the  Deity  in 
this  psalm  is^  peculiarly  applicable  to  that  portion  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel  which  had  forsaken  the  Lord. 

The  Psalmist  joyfully  begins  with  the  exhortation  to  solemnize 
the  passover  according  to  the  Divine  injunction,  with  pleasant 
music  and  the  psaltery,  (v.  2 — 6.)  He  then  introduces  God  as 
speaking,  as  He  had  addressed  his  people  from  Sinai,  (v.  7 — 11.) 
He  then,  like  the  prophets,  filled  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  complains  in 
the  name  of  God  of  the  former  obstinacy  of  Israel,  and  gives  them 
promises  on  condition  of  their  faithfulness,  (v.  12.  17.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  of  Gath,  A  Psalm 
JL        of  Asaph. 

2  Sing  aloud  unto  God  our  strength : 

Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  God  of  Jacob. 

3  Raise  a  psalm  and  strike  the  timbrel. 
The  pleasant  harp  with  the  psaltery. 

4  Blow  up  thB  trumpet  in  the  new  moon, 

In  the  full  moon,  on  our  solemn  feast  day. 

5  For  this  is  a  statute  for  Israel, 
And  a  law  of  the  God  of  Jacob. 

6  This  he  ordained  in  Joseph  for  a  testimony, 
When  he  went  out  against  the  land  of  Egypt : 
Where  I  heard  a  language  that  I  understood  not : 

7  "I  removed  his  shoulder  from  the  burden: 
His  hands  were  delivered  from  the  basket. 

8  Thou  calledst  in  trouble,  and  I  delivered  thee ; 
I  answered  thee  in  the  sacred  place  of  thunder : 
I  proved  thee  at  the  waters  of  strife.     Selah. 

9  Hear,  0  my  people,  and  I  will  testify  unto  thee. 
0  Israel,  if  thou  wilt  hearken  unto  me ; 

*  Luther  renders  verse  4,  "In  our  feast  of  tabernacles." 
29* 


342  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

10  There  shall  no  strange  god  be  in  thee ; 
Neither  shalt  thou  worship  any  strange  god. 

11  I  am  the  LORD  thy  God, 

Which  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt: 
Open  thy  mouth  wide,  and  I  will  fill  it." 

12  But  my  people  will  not  hearken  to  my  voice ; 
And  Israel  would  none  of  me. 

13  So  I  gave  them  up  unto  the  imaginations  of  their  hearts ; 
That  they  might  walk  in  their  own  counsels. 

14  0  that  my  people  would  hearken  unto  me, 
And  Israel  walk  in  my  ways ! 

15  I  should  soon  subdue  their  enemies, 

And  turn  my  hand  against  their  adversaries. 

16  The  haters  of  the  LORD  should  be  forced  to  homage, 
And  their  time  should  endure  for  ever. 

17  He  should  have  fed  them  also  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat ; 
And  with  honey  out  of  the  rock  should  I  have  satisfied 

thee. 

F.  2 — 4.  The  Sabbaths,  the  new  moons,  and  the  three  annual 
feasts  of  Israel  were  days  of  thanksgiving  and  joy.  On  those  occa- 
sions thanksgivings  are  returned  partly  for  the  goodness  of  God  in 
the  historic  guidance  of  Israel,  partly  for  his  annual  blessings  in 
the  kingdom  of  nature.  (Deut.  xvi.  11.  14;  cf.  Numb.  x.  10.) 
Hence  at  the  occasion  of  the  passover,  the  Psalmist  calls  for  the 
Levites,  upon  whom  it  devolved  to  tune  the  hearts  to  gladness  by 
the  joyous  sound  of  musical  instruments.  He  calls  for  joyous 
psalms  accompanied  by  the  solemn-sounding  tambourine,  the  clear 
notes  of  the  harp  and  lute,  bidding  them  to  give  the  signal  with 
the  majestic  voice  of  the  bugle  at  the  beginning  of  the  month, 
(namely,  new  moon,)  and  in  the  midst  of  the  month  (namely,  full 
moon,)  for  the  festive  gathering  of  all  the  people  at  the  sanctuary. 
Sacrifice  used  to  be  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  silver  trumpets. 
(Numb.  x.  10.) 

V.  5,  6.  Godly  people  regard  the  joy  and  peace  of  religious 
festivities  as  divine  gifts.  God  gave  Israel  the  privilege  of  rejoic- 
ing at  those  days.  They  may,  yea,  they  shall  rejoice;  for  the 
passover  is  the  memorial  of  the  time  when  God  entered  into  cove- 
nant with  his  people — when  after  they  had  forgotten  him,  he  spoke 
to  them  by  words  and  works.  The  giving  of  the  law  did  indeed 
not  occur  until  three  months  after  the  exode  from  Egypt.  But 
since  the  deliverance  from  the  Egyptian  thraldom  was  Israel's  obli- 
gatory tie  for  the  covenant  of  Sinai,  and  since  God  had  brought 
them  out  of  Egypt,  for  the  very  purpose  of  their  becoming  the  peo- 
ple of  his  inheritance,  the  deliverance  and  the  giving  of  the  law 


PSALM   LXXXI.  343 

might  be  conceived  as  intimately  connected.  (Exod.  xix.  3 — 8.) 
The  passover  may  be  said  to  be  the  festival  of  the  birth  and  life  of 
Israel. 

F.  7 — 11.  The  Lord  revealed  himself  and  made  known  his 
name  to  his  people  at  the  exode  and  the  giving  of  the  law.  He 
was  the  same  God  whom  their  fathers  knew,  but  whom,  under  the 
pressure  of  the  yoke  of  Egypt,  and  while  surrounded  by  an  idolatrous 
nation,  they  had  forgotten.  (Exod.  iii.  13;  Amos  v.  25,  26.)  He 
spoke  by  a  mighty  act  when  he  removed  the  burden  which  so  heavily 
pressed  upon  their  shoulders.  There  are  still  existing  Egyptian 
sculptures,  which  represent  the  Israelites  with  the  vessels  in  which  they 
carried  the  clay  and  the  tiles.  He  answered  their  cry  in  sending  aid 
by  the  tempest  which  destroyed  their  pursuers.  (Psalm  Ixxvii.  19.) 
He  manifested  himself  to  them  by  his  miracles  in  the  desert. 
(Numb.  xx.  10 — 12.)  Having  done  so  much  for  his  people,  he  was 
fairly  entitled  to  exact  their  obedience:  he  had  established  the 
claims  of  his  all-sufficiency  for  them,  that  they  should  not  go  to 
seek  for  help  elsewhere.  These  were  the  demands  which  God  put 
forth  from  Sinai,  and  of  these  the  Psalmist  here  reminds  them; 
and  more  than  this,  God,  in  his  infinite  compassion,  actually  invited 
the  nation  as  it  were  to  test  his  all-sufficiency.  Let  them  open 
their  hearts  and  mouths  ever  so  wide,  he  would  fill  them;  as  infants 
and  young  birds  are  fed  by  their  mothers,  so  he  would  satisfy  them. 
(Psalm  ciii.  5.) 

V.  12,  13.  But  the  people  were  not  satisfied  with  a  God  like 
him,  and  the  God  of  Israel  had  to  complain,  "  Israel  will  none  of 
me."  (Jer.  ii.  5.)  He  gave  them  up  and  made  them  experience 
their  nothingness  without  him.  Man  will  return  to  the  all-suffi- 
cient God,  though  by  circuitous  and  thorny  paths,  if  some  tender 
parts  continue  in  his  heart;  but  if  these  are  gone,  then  the  judg- 
ment of  induration  will  ensue. 

V.  14 — 17.  Is  there  a  human  heart  that  can  remain  unmoved 
on  beholding  the  love  of  a  superior  despised  by  his  inferior — say 
that  of  a  king  by  a  beggar?  Should  not  the  stones  be  moved  on 
hearing  God  complain,  that  his  people  has  despised  him?  Why 
does  He  complain?  Does  it  impoverish  Him?  Does  the  spring 
suffer  hurt,  when  a  thirsty  fool  would  rather  perish  than  drink  its 
waters?  No,  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  complains  of  his  despised 
love,  because  He  hath  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked.  How 
great  is  the  chain  of  testimony,  furnished  by  the  books  of  the 
history  of  Israel,  showing  that  Israel  was  only  then  happy,  when 
they  hearkened  to  the  Lord.  The  foolish  people  often  complained 
in  dark  days,  that  their  peace  was  far  off  when  it  was  close  at 
hand,  for  as  the  Lord  here  promises,  He  would  soon  have  delivered 
them  from  all  their  enemies.  But  they  hewed  themselves  broken 
cisterns,  and  forsook  the  fountain  of  living  waters.  (Jer.  ii.  13.) 
The  various  and  noble  blessings  which  they  might  enjoy  are  here 


344  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

depicted  to  them  by  the  figure  of  temporal  goods,  of  fine  wheat, 
oil,  and  honey,  which  God  can  cause  to  flow  out  of  Crocks.  (Deut. 
xxxii.  13.)  But  such  is  man,  he  complains  that  his  happiness  is 
far  away,  and  in  departing  from  his  G-od,  he  departs  from  his 
happiness. 


PSALM  LXXXII. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint  against  unjust  judges. 

The  corruption  of  judicial  administration  during  several  epochs 
of  the  Jewish  kingdom,  appear  from  passages  like  Isaiah  i.j 
Amos  ii.;  Mic.  vii.  The  high  demands  which  truly  pious  mon- 
archs  put  upon  their  judges,  and  which  in  the  main  agree  with  this 
psalm,  appear  from  the  address  of  Jehoshaphat  to  the  judges, 
whom  he  had  instituted.  (2  Chron.  xix.  5 — 7.)  He  said  to 
them,  "  Take  heed  what  ye  do:  for  ye  judge  not  for  man,  but  for 
the  Lord,  who  is  with  you  in  the  judgment.  Wherefore  now  let 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  be  upon  you :  take  heed  and  do  it :  for  there  is 
no  iniquity  with  the  Lord  our  God,  nor  respect  of  persons,  nor 
taking  of  gifts  " 

The  Psalmist  beholds  the  Lord  as  it  were  visibly  stepping 
among  his  representatives  on  earth  as  Judge  Supreme,  calling 
them  to  account,  because  of  their  undermining  and  destroying  the 
distinctions  between  right  and  wrong,  for  the  preservation  of  which 
they  had  been  instituted,  (v.  2 — 4.)  Deluded,  they  hear  not — 
therefore  the  foundations  of  the  earth  begin  to  move,  (v.  5.) 
They  are  addressed  once  more :  "  The  office  is  indeed  from  the 
Lord,  but  ye,  the  bearers  thereof,  are  mortal  men/'  (v.  6j  7.) 
But  from  the  conviction  that  even  that  admonition  would  prove 
fruitless,  the  Psalmist  calls  upon  the  Judge  Supreme,  that  He,  to 
whom  everything  which  is  opposed  to  the  kingdom  of  God  must 
yield  after  all,  would  bring  an  effectual  judgment  on  earth  against 
everything  which  opposes  the  Lord,  (v.  8.) 

1  A    PSALM  of  Asaph. 

God  standeth  in  the  congregation  of  the  mighty : 
He  judgeth  among  the  gods. 

2  "  How  long  will  ye  judge  unjustly, 

And  take  the  part  of  the  wicked?     Selah. 

3  Secure  right  to  the  poor  and  fatherless : 
Do  justice  to  the  afflicted  and  needy* 


PSALM   LXXXII.  345 

4  Deliver  the  poor  and  needy: 

Rid  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  wicked." 

5  They  know  not,  neither  will  they  understand ; 
They  walk  on  in  darkness: 

All  the  foundations  of  the  earth  totter. 

6  "I  have  said,  Ye  are  gods; 

And  all  of  you  are  children  of  the  Most  High. 

7  But  ye  shall  die  like  men, 

And  fall  like  one  of  the  princes. " 

8  Arise,  0  God,  judge  the  earth  : 
For  thou  shalt  inherit  all  nations. 

V.  1.  It  is  the  congregation  of  Israel  in  which  the  Lord 
appears  as  Judge  Supreme,  where  no  other  judgment  than  that 
which  is  according  to  his  eternal  laws  is  permitted.  (Psalm 
Ixxiv.  2;  cxlix.  2.)  Because  it  is  the  office  of  judges  to  distribute 
recompense  on  earth  in  God's  stead,  and  according  to  his  justice 
and  laws,  they  are  in  the  Pentateuch  called  "gods."  (Exod. 
xxii.  28.)  They  judge  not  for  man,  but  as  Jehoshaphat  says,  "for 
the  Lord,  who  is  with  them  in  the  judgment." 

V.  2 — 4.  The  Judge  Supreme  had  for  a  long  time  been  lenient 
to  the  unjust  administrators  of  the  divine  office.  Previous  to  his 
exercising  effective  judgments,  he  commissions  his  servants  to  pro- 
claim the  word  of  admonition.  They  make  fellowship  with  the 
unjust,  who  are  like  them,  and  for  the  sake  of  covetousness  with- 
hold justice  from  the  poor  and  the  fatherless,  for  whose  protection 
in  particular  earthly  tribunals  are  invested  with  power.  And  is 
God,  who  is  called  the  father  of  the  fatherless  and  the  judge 
of  the  widows,  (Psalm  Ixviii.  6,)  and  has  said,  "  Cursed  be  he  that 
perverteth  the  judgment  of  the  stranger,  fatherless,  and  widow/' 
(Deut.  xxvii.  19,)  to  look  at  it  with  impunity?  Here  is  the  mighty 
consolation  of  those  who  have  no  strength  and  support  of  their  own, 
that  God,  who  has  invested  earthly  tribunals  with  his  power,  for 
the  special  purpose  of  protecting  the  helpless  against  oppressors, 
will  assuredly  watch  over  their  proceedings,  and  seize  the  sceptre 
when  bis  judge*  pervert  justice  and  become  oppressors. 

V.  5,  6.  When  mortals  to  whom  God  has  lent  strength  forget 
that  their  strength  is  only  a  loan,  and  presume  to  regard  them- 
selves as  lords,  then  their  proud  hearts  get  enshrouded  with  dark- 
ness and  delusion  so  great  that  they  become  proof  against  all  exhor- 
tation. The  effects  of  that  perversion  are  plain.  Where  right- 
eousness and  justice  are  perverted  into  injustice,  the  foundations  of 
the  earth  get  moved,  for  justice  and  law  are  the  cements  of  fami- 
lies and  states. 

V.  7.  God  speaks  once  more.  He  says,  as  it  were,  "I  have 
made  you  the  bearers  of  My  Godhead,  the  children  of  the  Most 


346  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

High,  in  whom  by  virtue  of  your  office,  and  the  power  reposed  in 
that  office,  My  Holy  Godhead,  which  ruleth  the  world,  may  be  seen 
as  if  reflected  in  a  glass — but  you  who  are  the  bearers  of  that  power 
continue  after  all  nothing  more  or  less  than  what  you  are,  mortal 
men;  you  are  like  other  men  and  other  potentates  (2  Sam.  ix.  11; 
Judges  xvi.  7.  11;  1  Kings  xix.  2)  doomed  to  die;  God  in  insti- 
tuting you  as  his  vicegerents  means  not  to  renounce  his  own  judi- 
cial office."  Death,  which  levels  all  men,  is  the  most  effective 
sermon  for  earthly  rulers.  Our  Lord  refers  to  this  passage  in  John 
x.  34,  when  the  Jews  reviled  him  in  that  he  made  himself  equal 
to  God.  "If  he  called  them  gods,"  said  he,  "unto  whom  the  word 
of  God  came,  and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken,  say  ye  of  him, 
whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world,  '  Thou 
blasphemest/  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God?  If  I  do  not 
the  works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not;  but  if  I  do,  though  ye 
believe  not  me,  believe  the  works :  that  ye  may  know  and  believe, 
that  the  Father  is  in  me  and  I  in  him."  All  this  means,  "If  the 
Scriptures  confer  the  name  of  gods  on  those  unjust  judges,  because 
they  are  instituted  to  execute  on  earth  the  office  and  works  of  God, 
how  much  less  offence  ought  you  to  take  at  my  saying,  I  and  my 
Father  are  one,  I  all  whose  works  reveal  the  glory  of  the  Father 
on  earth." 

V.  8.  Aware  that  most  of  the  potentates  and  nobles  of  the  earth 
refuse  to  get  wise  by  the  thought  of  death,  but  that  they  think 
because  their  lands  are  called  after  their  own  names,  therefore  their 
houses  shall  continue  for  ever,  (Ps.  xlix.  12,)  the  Psalmist  now 
calls  upon  the  Judge  of  the  world  to  execute  an  effective  judgment, 
that  mortals  might  know  that  they  are  vassals,  and  that  he  is  the 
only  Lord  and  Master,  to  whom  everything  must  yield  which  is 
opposed  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  (Of.  ad.  Ps.  lix.  6,  and  vii.  7.) 


PSALM  LXXXIH. 

A  PSALM  of  supplication,  composed  when  many  nations  from  beyond 
Jordan  and  the  South  were  threatening  to  destroy  the  people  at 
once.  It  was  sung  in  the  reign  of  Jehoshaphat,  at  the  critical 
juncture  which  is  recorded  2  Chronicles  xx.  The  chief  enemies 
were  the  Edomites,  from  Mount  Seir,  south  of  Palestine;  the 
Ishmaelites,  an  Arabian  nation,  who  with  the  Midianites  (Judges 
viii.  22.  24)  resided  south-east  in  the  vicinity  of  Moab;  still  more 
to  the  east  dwelt  the  Hagarenes,  (1  Chron.  v.  10;  xix.  20,)— in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Amalek,  to  the  south,  near  Edom,  there  was 
Gebal — both  Arabian  tribes;  the  Ammonites  lived  in  the  east  in 


PSALM   LXXXIII.  347 

the  direction  of  Syria:  to  these  came  from  the  north-west  Philistia 
and  Tyre,  and  from  the  north  the  remote  Assyria.  It  appears  from 
verse  9  that  the  first-named  lesser  tribes,  viz.  the  children  of  Lot 
(i.  e.  Am  in  on  and  Moab,)  were  their  chief  enemies.  2  Chronicles 
xx.  states  that  a  mighty  host  of  the  Moabites  and  Ammonites,  and 
of  the  countries  beyond  Ammon,*  had  unexpectedly  marched  against 
Jehoshaphat;  also  from  Syria,  f  (v.  2;)  so  that  the  king  in  great 
anxiety  entered  the  temple  and  prayed,  "0  Lord  God  of  our 
fathers,  art  not  thou  God  in  heaven?  and  rulest  not  thou  over  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  heathen  ?  and  in  thine  hand  is  there  not  power 
and  might,  so  that  none  is  able  to  withstand  thee?  They  come  to 
cast  us  out  of  thy  possession,  which  thou  hast  given  us  to  inherit, 
O  our  God,  wilt  thou  not  judge  them?  for  we  have  no  might  against 
this  great  company  that  cometh  against  us;  neither  know  we  what 
to  do:  but  our  eyes  are  upon  thee."  And  all  Judah  stood  before 
the  Lord,  with  their  little  ones,  their  wives,  and  their  children. 
Then  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Jehaziel,  a  Levite  of  the 
sons  of  Asaphj  who  said,  "  Hearken  ye,  all  Judah,  and  ye  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem,  and  thou  king  Jehoshaphat,  thus  saith  the 
Lord  unto  you,  Be  not  afraid  nor  dismayed  by  reason  of  this  great 
multitude;  for  the  battle  is  not  yours  but  God's.  To-morrow  go 
ye  down  against  them :  behold  they  come  up  by  the  cliff  of  Ziz,  and 
ye  shall  find  them  at  the  end  of  the  valley  before  the  wilderness  of 
Jeruel.  Ye  shall  not  need  to  fight  in  this  battle :  set  yourselves, 
stand  ye  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord  with  you,  0  Judah 
and  Jerusalem :  fear  not  nor  be  dismayed :  to-morrow  go  out  against 
them,  for  the  Lord  will  be  with  you."  Those  nations  were  already 
within  a  sixteen  hours'  march  from  Jerusalem.  So  far  had  they 
advanced  on  the  desert  road  along  the  Dead  Sea.  The  next  morn- 
ing Jehoshaphat  went  to  meet  them,  while  the  people  and  the 
appointed  singers  were  moving  forward  in  the  beauty  of  holiness, 
and  sang,  "Praise  the  Lord,  for  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 
And  when  they  came  to  Mizpah,  lo !  they  found  the  earth  covered 
with  dead  bodies,  with  an  abundance  of  riches  and  precious  jewels, 
for  dissensions  had  arisen  among  the  enemies,  and  the  one  had 
killed  the  other;  and  Jehoshaphat  and  his  people,  laden  with  rich 
spoil,  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  psalteries,  and  harps,  and  trumpets, 
unto  the  house  of  the  Lord.  It  seems  that  all  those  tribes,  as  in  a 
migration  of  nations,  had  left  their  countries  with  all  their  riches, 

*  2  Chron.  xx.  1,  should  be  rendered  "beyond"  instead  "beside  the 
Ammonites." 

j-  They  marched  round  the  southern  point  of  the  Dead  Sea,  "along  the 
same  road  which  to  this  day  is  frequented  by  the  Arabs  on  their  predatory 
excursions:  it  goes  along  the  shore  to  Ain  Dschedi  (the  well  of  goats;")  to 
this  day  there  remains  a  rocky  pass,  which  goes  up  towards  Jerusalem, 
which  in  2  Chronicles  xx.  16  is  called  "Ziz." — Robinson's  Palestine,  vol.  ii. 
p.  446. 


348  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

to  take  at  once  possession  of  the  land  of  Israel,  as  Jehoshaphat  and 
the  author  of  this  psalm  express  it.  (Of.  2  Chron.  xx.  11,  with 
Psalm  Ixxxiii.  5.  13;  ef  Keil  on  Chronicles,  p.  246.)  It  is  to  be 
noticed,  that  the  Psalmist  has  intentionally  selected  from  ancient 
history  the  example  of  the  Midianites,  for  as  in  the  days  of  Jehos- 
haphat, it  was  the  Arabian  tribes,  who  were  then  assembled, 
"Midianites,  Amalekites,  Ishmaelites,  and  the  children  of  the  east;" 
(Judges  vi.  33;  vii.  12;  viii.  24,)  the  victory  of  Gideon  moreover 
coincides  with  this  narrative,  for  it  is  said  of  the  nations  who  fought 
with  Midian  that  "the  Lord  set  every  man's  sword  against  his 
fellow."  (Judges  vii.  22.)  The  examples  of  Sisera  and  Jabin  may 
possibly  have  been  adduced  because  they  were  Canaanites  (which 
term  included  the  Phoenicians,  "Obad.  20,)  and  may  therefore  con- 
tain a  more  specific  reference  to  enemies  in  the  west.  The  historical 
books  give  no  account  of  an  alliance  of  the  Philistines  and  Assyrians 
and  the  other  nations,  but  their  participation  may  have  been  like 
that  of  the  Syrians*  of  a  mediate  kind,  as  in  the  days  of  David 
the  Syrians  came  to  the  aid  of  the  Ammonites,  but  had  in  their 
turn  to  ask  Mesopotamia  for  help,  (2  Sam.  x.  16;)  or  those  nations 
might  simply  have  promised  their  aid. 

Since  Jehoshaphat  and  his  Levites  are  said  to  have  gone  forth 
to  meet  the  foe  singing  psalms,  we  may  assume  that  it  was  this 
psalm  which  they  sang,  and  that  the  Levite  of  the  sons  of  Asaph, 
who  is  mentioned  2  Chron.  xx.  14,  is  the  author.  He  first  invokes 
the  Lord  for  the  manifestation  of  his  power,  since  the  foe  contem- 
plated nothing  less  than  the  total  destruction  of  that  nation  which 
was  under  his  peculiar  protection,  (v.  2 — 5.)  He  reverts  to  ancient 
history,  considering  that  it  would  not  be  the  first  time  that  the 
savage  hordes  of  eastern  nations  had  to  succumb  to  the  small  band 
of  those  who  had  the  Lord  for  their  ally,  (v.  6 — 13.)  The  people 
of  God  pray  for  victory,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  temporal  benefit, 
but  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  should  know  that  the  nation 
which  to  a  man  confides  in  the  Lord,  may  rely  on  him  in  times  of 
the  most  imminent  peril,  (v.  14 — 19.) 

1  A    SONG  or  Psalm  of  Asaph. 

2  Keep  not  thou  silence,  0  God ; 

Hold  not  thy  peace,  and  be  not  still,  0  God. 

3  For,  lo,  thine  enemies  make  a  tumult : 

And  they  that  hate  thee  have  lifted  up  the  head. 

4  They  have  taken  crafty  counsel  against  thy  people, 
And  consulted  against  thy  hidden  ones. 

*  Possibly  2  Chron.  xx.  2,  and  2  Sam.  viii.  13,  ought,  according  to  another 
reading,  to  be  rendered  "Edom"  instead  of  "Aram." 


PSALM  LXXXIII.  349 

5  They  have  said,  "  Come,  and  let  us  cut  them  off  from 

being  a  nation; 
That  the  name  of  Israel  maybe  no  more  in  remembrance." 

6  For  they  have  consulted  together  with  one  consent: 
They  are  confederate  against  thee: 

7  The  tents  of  Edom,  and  the  Ishmaelites ; 
Of  Moab,  and  the  Hagarenes ; 

8  Gebal,  and  Ammon,  and  Amalek; 

The  Philistines  with  the  inhabitants  of  Tyre ; 

9  Assur  also  is  joined  wTith  them: 

He  lends  his  arm  to  the  children  of  Lot.     Selah. 

10  Do  unto  them  as  unto  the  Midianites; 

As  to  Sisera,  as  to  Jabin,  at  the  brook  of  Kison : 

11  Which  perished  at  En-dor : 

They  became  as  dung  for  the  earth. 

12  Make  their  nobles  like  Oreb,  and  like  Zeeb : 
Yea,  all  their  princes  as  Zebah,  and  as  Zalinunna: 

13  Who  said,  "Let  us  take  to  ourselves 
The  houses  of  God  in  possession." 

14  0  my  God,  make  them  like  a  wheel  (or,  "whirlwind;") 
As  the  stubble  before  the  wind. 

15  As  the  fire  burneth  a  wood, 

And  as  the  flame  setteth  the  mountains  on  fire ; 

16  So  persecute  them  with  thy  tempest, 
And  make  them  afraid  with  thy  storm. 

17  Fill  their  faces  with  shame ; 

That  they  may  seek  thy  name,  0  LORD. 

18  Let  them  be  confounded  and  troubled  for  ever; 
Yea,  let  them  be  put  to  shame,  and  perish : 

19  That  men  may  know  that  thou,  whose  name  alone  is 

JEHOVAH, 
Art  the  Most  High  over  all  the  earth. 

V.  2 — 5.  The  God  of  Israel  addressed  his  people,  not  only  by 
words,  but  by  works.  In  faith  they  now  pray  for  such  an  utter- 
ance by  works.  The  foe  has  determined  the  destruction  of  that 
nation,  to  which  it  has  been  said,  "He  that  toucheth  you,  toucheth 
the  apple  of  his  eye."  (Zech.  ii.  8.)  Ought  not  a  people  to  whom 
this  is  said  cast  all  their  care  upon  God,  though  the  whole  world 
should  rise  up  against  them?  Yea,  they  who  lift  up  their  head 
against  them  virtually  lift  it  against  their  Covenant-God. 

V.  6 — 10.  The  children  of  Lot  come  as  enemies.  The  tribes, 
whom  Israel,  when  they  came  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  had  spared, 
(2  Chron.  xx.  10,)  come  now  to  requite  their  good  with  evil. 
30 


350  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

Philistia,  their  old  hereditary  foe,  has  lent  his  aid,  and  as  remote 
Mesopotamia  strengthened  the  king  of  Syria  by  her  forces  when  he 
marched  against  David,  so  now  were  the  resources  of  the  enemy 
increased  from  Syria  or  Assyria.  The  Psalmist  probably  mentions 
intentionally  the  name  of  the  most  distant  nation. 

y.  11—13.  The  day  of  Midian.  The  heart  of  an  Israelite 
beats  high  at  the  remembrance  of  that  day.  "  Thou  hast  broken 
the  yoke  of  his  burden,  and  the  staff  of  his  shoulder,  the  rod  of  his 
oppressor,  as  in  the  day  of  Midian."  Such  is  the  jubilant  exclama- 
tion of  Isaiah  while  about  to  describe  the  advent  of  the  great  king- 
dom of  peace  under  Messiah.  (Isa.  ix.  4.)  On  that  day  Gideon, 
with  three  hundred  valiant  men,  routed  the  people,  "who  lay  along 
in  the  valley  like  grasshoppers  for  multitude;  and  whose  camels 
were  without  number,  as  the  sand  by  the  sea  side  for  multitude." 
(Judges  vii.  12.)  On  that  day  they  cried,  "  The  sword  of  the  Lord 
and  of  Gideon"  and  all  their  enemies  were  scattered.  The  Lord 
had  then  verified  the  words  which  the  prophet  had  now  told  to 
Jehoshaphat,  "  Be  not  afraid  nor  dismayed  by  reason  of  this  great 
multitude;  for  the  battle  is  not  yours,  but  God's."  So  it  happened 
also  when  Deborah,  the  heroic  woman,  went  with  Barak  against 
Sisera,  the  captain  of  the  Philistines,  and  a  woman  smote  a  nail 
in  his  temples,  (Judges  iv.  21;)  when  Deborah  sang,  "They  fought 
from  heaven;  the  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera." 
(Judges  v.  20.)  Their  captains  should  fall  like  Oreb  and  Zeeb, 
the  captains  of  the  Midianites;  and  their  kings  like  Zebah  and 
Zalmunna,  the  kings  of  the  Midianites,  who  in  reliance  on  human 
strength  had  resolved  to  take  the  possession  of  God. 

F.  14 — 19.  All  their  might  and  power  are  to  pass  away  swift 
and  light  as  the  stubble  before  the  wind,  as  the  splendour  of  the 
mountain  wood,  when  the  tempest  sets  it  on  fire  from  the  base  to 
its  proud  summit.  The  Psalmist  contemplates  even  in  their  fall 
nothing  but  the  glory  of  God.  They  should  learn  to  know  and 
seek  the  power  of  that  name  which  they  had  insulted  in  His  cove- 
nant people.  History  concludes  the  record  of  that  miracle  of  the 
Lord  in  these  words,  "And  the  fear  of  the  Lord  was  on  all  the 
kingdoms  of  those  countries  when  they  heard  that  the  Lord  fought 
against  the  enemies  of  Israel."  (2  Chron.  xx.  29.)  This  was  a 
revelation  of  the  arm  of  the  Lord  similar  to  that  when  he  struck 
Sennacherib  with  the  plague  under  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 


PSALM  LXXXIV. 

A  SONG  expressive  of  longing  for  the  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem,  sung 
by  the  Levites  at  Mahanaim;  which  one  of  David's  Levites,  placing 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  351 

himself  in  his  royal  master's  position,  composed  during  his  flight 
before  Absalom,  when  they  were  at  Mahanaim,  beyond  Jordan. 
(Cf.  ad.  Psalms  xlii.  xliii.  Ixiii.) 

Yerses  10,  11,  clearly  show  that  this  psalm  refers  to  a  king,  who 
remote  from  the  sanctuary  feels  an  intense  longing  for  it.  No  other 
kings  were  in  exile  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  beside  the 
wicked  Manasseh  and  Jeconiah.  It  cannot  have  been  composed 
for  the  former,  nor  is  it  likely  that  it  was  for  the  latter,  since  in 
that  case  there  would  certainly  be  some  reference  to  the  ignominy 
of  the  nation  at  that  time.  Psalm  xlii.  7  shows  that  it  relates  to 
the  flight  of  David.  We  know  that  lie  (Psalms  xxiii.  xxvii.  Ixi. 
Ixiii. ;  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  26,)  longed  for  the  sanctuary  as  his  highest 
possession. 

This  beautiful  psalm  is  replete  with  the  peace  of  God.  The 
longing  for  the  sanctuary  is  symbolical  of  thirst  for  communion 
with  God,  (v.  2 — 5.)  The  procession  to  the  house  of  God  is  sym- 
bolical of  a  walk  in  God  and  with  God,  which  goes  from  strength 
to  strength.  The  measure  of  the  vividness  of  the  Psalmist's  con- 
templation is  also  the  measure  of  the  intensity  of  his  prayer  for 
his  king,  to  be  once  more  favoured  with  the  sight  of  the  sanctuary. 
He  concludes  in  the  confidence  that  he  has  not  prayed  in  vain, 
(v.  10—13.) 

1  nnO  the  chief  Musician,  to  the  tune  of  Gath,  a  Psalm  of 
JL       the  sons  of  Korah. 

2  How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  0  LORD  of  hosts ! 

3  My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth 

For  the  courts  of  the  LORD  :  my  heart  and  my  flesh  rejoice 
In  the  living  God. 

4  Yea,  the  sparrow  hath  found  an  house, 

And  the  swallow  a  nest  for  herself,  where  she  may  lay 

her  young, 

Near  thine  altars,  0  LORD  of  hosts, 
My  King,  and  my  God. 

5  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  thy  house : 
They  will  be  still  praising  thee.     Selah. 

6  Blessed  is  the  man  whose  strength  is  in  thee.; 
Who  in  their  heart  remember  thy  ways. 

7  Who  passing  through  the  vale  of  tears*  make  it  a  well ; 
The  rain  also  covereth  it  with  blessings. 

8  They  go  from  strength  to  strength, 

Every  one  of  them  in  Zion  appeareth  before  God. 

*This  is  probably  the  same  shrub  which  the  Arabs  still  call  "Baca," 
from  its  distilling  an  odoriferous  gum,  from  the  Terb>  "Bacha,  to  distil 
like  tears." — Translator. 


352  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

9  0  LORD  God  of  hosts,  hear  my  prayer: 
Give  ear,  0  God  of  Jacob.     Selah. 

10  Behold,  0  God,  our  shield, 

And  look  upon  the  face  of  thine  anointed. 

11  For  a  day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand. 

I  had  rather  be  a  doorkeeper  in  the  house  of  my  God, 
Than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness. 

12  For  the  LORD  God  is  a  sun  and  shield: 
The  LORD  will  give  grace  and  glory: 
No  good  thing  will  he  withhold 
From  them  that  walk  uprightly. 

130  LORD  of  hosts, 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  thee. 

V.  2 — 5.  The  recollection  of  his  former  enjoyments  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  sanctuary  causes  the  Psalmist  to  strengthen  his  long- 
ing for  the  sanctuary  by  introducing  into  it  his  own  feelings 
towards  the  Lord.  His  soul  longs  for  the  courts,*  for  he  was  a 
Levite  and  not  a  priest.  Priests  only  were  permitted  to  approach 
the  inner  sanctuary.  His  humility  is  great,  for  the  privilege  of 
passing  its  very  threshold  is  enough  to  fill  him  with  rapturous 
delight.  His  longing,  like  that  of  the  king  in  Psalm  Ixiii.  2,  3, 
weakens  both  heart  and  flesh.  His  soul  rejoiceth  in  the  living 
God.  Yes,  it  must  have  been  the  living  God,  who  makes  himself 
felt  and  tasted  by  his  people — none  other  than  he  could  have 
infused  yearnings  for  communion  with  him  so  great  as  to  consume 
both  body  and  soul.  Irrational  creatures,  such  as  the  sparrow  and 
the  swallow,  unable  to  prize  their  privilege,  enjoy  what  the  bard 
and  his  king  are  deprived  of.  Ancient  nations — the  Arabs  among 
their  number — used  to  grant  an  asylum  to  birds  within  the  sacred 
precincts  of  their  temples,  and  even  the  buildings  themselves. 
The  walls  of  the  Tabernacle  were  wooden,  a  yard  deep,  hung  with 
carpets,  and  over  these  there  was  a  double  leather-hanging:  the 
courts  contained  columns  with  capitals,  where  birds  might  easily 
build  their  nests.  We  have  no  information  respecting  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  Tabernacle  of  Zion.  The  Psalmist  probably  refers  to 
the  sacred  precincts,  since  the  expression,  "  thine  altars/'  cannot 
be  understood  in  a  strictly  literal  sense.  The  reason  of  the  Psalm- 

*  The  ancient  Tabernacle  had  only  one  court,  the  court  of  the  priests. 
This  passage  suggests  therefore  the  idea  of  the  Temple,  (cf.  Ixv.  5  ;  xcvi.  8; 
c.  4;)  but,  1 — the  plural  may  be  poetically  used  instead  of  the  singular; 
2 — the  court  of  the  Tabernacle  may  already1  have  had  a  compartment  for 
the  people,  (Iken  antig:  sacra.;)  3 — the  bard  may  refer  to  the  courts  of  the 
two  sanctuaries,  that  on  Zion  as  well  as  the  Tabernacle,  (cf.  xv.  1.)  The 
Tabernacle  on  Zion  had  two,  and  the  Tabernacle  several  doorkeepers. 
(1  Chron.  xvi.  38.  42.) 


PSALM  LXXXV.  353 

iat's  longing  for  the  house  of  God  is  expressed  in  the  words, 
"Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  thy  house:  they  shall  praise  thee 
for  evermore."  His  soul  longs  for  the  praise  of  the  Lord  in  the 
holy  congregation.  How  much  is  needed  until  we  find  the  greatest 
delight  of  our  lives  in  the  praise  of  the  Lord ! 

V.  6 — 8.  His  imagination  depicts  the  blessedness  of  being  per- 
mitted to  go  up  to  Zion ;  he  probably  alludes  to  the  holy  pilgrims, 
who  used  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  the  three  great  feasts,  singing 
psalms.  The  processions  to  the  sanctuary  are  to  him  symbolical 
of  a  walk  of  communion  with  God.  The  tears  which  are  shed  on 
that  road  become  rich  fountains — yea,  like  the  latter  rain,  which 
ripens  the  crops  and  yields  rich  blessings.  This  is  the  blessing  of 
the  tears  which  are  shed  in  faith.  Every  station  on  that  way  yields 
new  strength,  and  thus  they  go  on — though  weeping — on  and  ever 
onwards  till  they  at  last  arrive  in  Zion.  Is  there  a  more  beautiful 
figure  of  home-sick  bearers  of  the  cross  who  are  on  the  pilgrimage 
to  the  heavenly  Zion  ? 

F.  9.  He  prays  for  that  blessing.  One  so  initiated  in  the 
delights  and  secrets  of  communion  with  God  as  he,  heard  no  doubt 
the  amen  in  his  heart  while  he  was  yet  praying. 

F.  10,  11.  The  happiness  of  the  Psalmist  is  intimately  allied 
to  that  of  the  king.  He  prays  so  earnestly  for  the  happiness  of 
the  latter,  that  it  is  clear  to  see  that  his  own  return  to  Zion  depends 
on  that  of  the  anointed  of  the  Lord.  He  may  have  been  one  of 
the  doorkeepers,  whom  David  had  appointed  on  Zion  and  in  the 
Tabernacle.  The  house  of  God  in  itself  could  never  have  been  as 
delightful  to  him  as  was  the  communion  with  God,  which  he  had 
realized  there  more  than  anywhere  else.  He  had  enjoyed  more 
happiness  in  the  courts  of  that  communion  with  God,  than  is  to  be 
enjoyed  in  the  fulness  of  the  houses  of  the  ungodly. 

F.  12,  13.  A  pious  heart,  under  the  influence  of  God,  receives 
from  him  what  the  material  sun  imparts  to  the  outward  man — 
light,  warmth,  and  joy.  Armed  hosts  here  threatened  peril — the 
band  of  David  was  small — but  the  Lord  is  a  shield  to  his  people, 
and  in  him,  and  not  in  men,  have  they  reposed  their  hope. 


PSALM  LXXXV. 

A  SONG  of  complaint,  composed  during  the  time  subsequent  to  the 
return  of  Israel  from  the  captivity,  when  they  had  to  contend 
with  want  and  misery  in  their  recovered  land,  and  with  hostile 
nations  around  them.  Nehemiah,  moved  by  their  wretchedness^ 
had  obtained  the  permission  of  king  Artaxerxes  to  go  to  their 
assistance;  but  even  then  there  were  strife  and  want  in  the  newly 
30* 


354  COMMENTAKY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

founded  city.  (Neb.  i.  3;  chap,  iv.)     Psalm  cxxvi.  was  composed 
under  similar  circumstances. 

With  a  sense  of  unworthiness  and'  guilt,  the  Psalmist  (whose 
language  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  prayer  of  Nehemiah) 
regards  it  a  great  mercy  that  the  Lord  has  turned  the  captivity, 
though  he  tastes  the  remainder  of  the  wrath  of  God  in  the  calamity 
and  ignominy  which  still  continue,  (v.  2 — 8.)  His  faith  assures 
him  of  the  Divine  promise  that  the  help  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand, 
and  he  beholds  in  a  vision  the  fulness  of  salvation,  which  is  here- 
after to  come  upon  Zion,  (v.  9 — 14.) 

0  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Koran. 


i  nn 


2  Lord,  thou  hast  been  favourable  unto  thy  land : 
Thou  hast  turned  the  captivity  of  Jacob. 

3  Thou  hast  forgiven  the  iniquity  of  thy  people, 
Thou  hast  covered  all  their  sin.     Selah. 

4  Thou  hast  taken  away  all  thy  wrath : 

Thou  hast  turned  thy  self  from  the  fierceness  of  thine  anger. 

5  Turn  us,  0  God  of  our  salvation, 

And  cause  thine  anger  towards  us  to  cease. 

6  Wilt  thou  be  angry  with  us  for  ever  ? 

Wilt  thou  draw  out  thine  anger  to  all  generations  ? 

7  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again : 
That  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee? 

8  Show  us  thy  mercy,  0  LORD, 
And  grant  us  thy  salvation. 

9  I  will  hear  what  God  the  LORD  will  speak : 

For  he  will  speak  peace  unto  his  people,  and  to  his  saints : 
If  they  turn  not  again  to  folly. 

10  Surely  his  salvation  is  nigh  them  that  fear  him; 
That  glory  may  dwell  in  our  land. 

11  Mercy  and  truth  are  met  together; 
Kighteousness  and  peace  have  kissed  each  other. 

12  Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth; 

And  righteousness  shall  look  down  from  heaven. 

13  Yea,  the  LORD  shall  give  that  which  is  good ; 
And  our  land  shall  yield  her  increase. 

14  Righteousness  shall  go  before  him ; 

And  shall  set  us  in  the  way  of  his  steps.* 

V.  2 — 8.     The  Lord  had  punished  the  apostasy  of  Israel  by 
delivering  them  into  the  hands  of  their  oppressors  and  driving  them 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "And  he  shall  proceed  in  his  ways." 


PSALM  LXXXVI.  355 

from  the  land  of  his  inheritance.  That  punishment  bore  its  fruit. 
The  people  tasted  in  it  the  anger  of  God ;  yea,  they  taste  it  in  the 
residue  of  their  affliction.  They  know  with  David  that  "  He  hath 
not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us  according  to  our 
iniquities/'  (Psalm  ciii.  10.)  Hence  they  know,  that  though  their 
apostasy  deserved  everlasting  anger,  it  would  not  yet  last  for  ever. 
The  Psalmist  is  as  sure  of  the  mercy  of  God  as  he  feels  himself 
conscious  of  guilt. 

F.  9 — 14.  God  makes  epochs  in  the  life  of  his  servants,  so  that 
at  times  the  transgressions  of  the  past  are  forgiven  and  erased  from 
the  book  of  his  remembrance.  Man  may  then  begin  anew.  The 
Psalmist  predicts  here  such  a  time  as  coming,  except  new  follies 
should  bring  new  chastisements.  He  sees  salvation  approaching. 
It  can  only  come  when  Israel  shall  be  pure  and  holy.  That  shall 
be  the  time  of  which  Isaiah  prophesies,  "They  shall  not  hurt  nor 
destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea,"  (Isa.  ix.  9.) 
The  space  between  earth  and  heaven  shall  be  filled  with  truth  and 
righteousness.  The  land  shall  abound  in  blessings.  (Cf.  ad.  Psalm 
Ixvii.  7.)  The  Lord  himself  shall  come  to  his  people,  righteous- 
ness shall  be  his  harbinger,  and  none  shall  be  able  to  stay  him  in 
his  course. 


PSALM  LXXXVI. 

A  PLAINTIVE  psalm  of  David,  which  seems  to  date  from  the  time 
of  the  persecution  of  Saul.     It  is  related  to  Psalm  vi. 

He  prays  in  that  assurance  which  springs  from  the  knowledge  of 
a  pious  and  sincere  heart,  (v.  2 — 4,)  of  great  trouble,  (v.  1.  6,  7,) 
the  certainty  of  Divine  mercy,  (v.  5,)  and  the  power  of  Divine 
omnipotence,  (v.  8 — 10.)  He  prays  above  all  to  be  kept  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  (v.  11,)  having  already  richly  experienced  his 
mercy,  (v.  12,  13.)  He  may  therefore  hope  for  present  deliver- 
ance, and  that  protection  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to  his  chil- 
dren, (v.  14—17.) 

PRAYER  of  David. 

Bow  down  thine  ear,  0  LORD,  hear  me : 
For  I  am  poor  and  needy. 
2  Preserve  my  soul ;  for  I  am  holy : 

0  thou,  my  God,  save  thy  servant  that  trusteth  in  thee. 


356  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS, 

3  Be  merciful  unto  me,  0  Lord: 
For  I  cry  unto  thee  daily. 

4  Rejoice  the  soul  of  thy  servant: 

For  unto  thee,  0  Lord,  do  I  lift  up  my  souL 

5  For  thou,  Lord,  art  good,  and  ready  to  forgive ; 

And  plenteous  in  mercy  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  thee : 

6  Give  ear,  0  LORD,  unto  my  prayer ;  ^ 

And  attend  to  the  voice  of  my  supplications. 

7  In  the  day  of  my  trouble  I  will  call  upon  thee : 
For  thou  wilt  answer  me. 

8  Among  the  gods  there  is  none  like  unto  thee,  0  Lord : 
Neither  are  there  any  works  like  unto  thy  works. 

9  All  nations  whom  thou  hast  made 

Shall  come  and  worship  before  thee,  0  Lord ; 
And  shall  glorify  thy  name. 

10  For  thou  art  great,  and  doest  wondrous  things : 
Thou  art  God  alone. 

11  Teach  me  thy  way,  0  LORD; 
I  will  walk  in  thy  truth : 

Unite  my  heart  to  fear  thy  name.* 

12  I  will  praise  thee,  0  Lord  my  God,  with  all  my  heart : 
And  I  will  glorify  thy  name  for  evermore. 

13  For  great  is  thy  mercy  toward  me : 

And  thouliast  delivered  my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell. 

14  0  God,  the  proud  are  risen  against  me, 

And  the  assemblies  of  violent  men  have  sought  after  my 

soul; 
And  have  not  set  thee  before  them. 

15  But  thou,  0  Lord,  art  a  God  full  of  compassion,  and 

gracious, 
Longsufiering,  and  plenteous  in  mercy  and  truth. 

16  0  turn  unto  me,  and  have  mercy  upon  me; 
Give  thy  strength  unto  thy  servant, 

And  save  the  son  of  thine  handmaid. 

17  Show  me  a  token  for  good ; 

That  they  which  hate  me  may  see  it,  and  be  ashamed : 
Because  thou,  LORD,  hast  holpen  me,  and  comforted  me. 

V.  1.  Although  our  poverty  and  need  are  by  no  means  the 
highest  and  ultimate  grounds  on  which  the  unanswerableness  of 
our  prayers  is  based,  it  is  nevertheless  certain  that  God  has  declared 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "Keep  my  heart  to  the  one  thing—to  fear  thy  name." 


PSALM  LXXXVI.  357 

it  to  be  his  peculiar  office  to  help  the  poor,  "For  the  oppression  of 
the  poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the 
Lord/'  (Psalm  xii.  6 :)  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  equally  certain 
that  men  do  not  begin  to  call  upon  the  Lord,  until  the  earth  can 
no  longer  satisfy  them,  and  they  feel  that  they  are  poor  and  needy. 

V.  2 — 4.  There  is  nothing  more  loathsome  to  God  than  hypo- 
crisy. David  knows  this,  and  seeks  to  obtain  the  assurance  of  his 
conscience  that  his  love  and  trust  in  God  are  sincere,  that  he  calls 
upon  him  and  longs  for  him  more  than  for  anything  besides. 
Should  it  be  said,  "  If  the  confidence  of  prayer  were  based  in  this, 
then  the  door  of  prayer  would  be  shut  to  gross  offenders/'  we 
answer,  that  sincere  repentance  is  an  equally  solid  foundation  for  the 
support  of  a  praying  sinner,  and  an  equally  potent  means  of  pro- 
tection for  the  encouragement  of  a  doubting  conscience. 

V.  5 — 7.  What  would  all  human  sincerity  and  holiness  avail, 
if  God  were  to  deal  with  us  according  to  justice?  David's  first 
support  lies  therefore  in  the  love  and  mercy  of  God — which  are 
attainable  on  the  one  condition,  that  man  call  upon  and  seek  the 
Lord  in  his  trouble.  He  applies  that  universal  condition  to  him- 
self, (v.  6,)  declaring  (v.  7,)  that  he  had  cried  to  the  Lord  not 
effeminately  nor  on  trivial  grounds,  but  in  trouble  so  great,  that 
none  but  he  could  send  deliverance. 

V.  8 — 10.  There  are  two  kinds  of  doubt  which  in  temptation 
interpose  between  ourselves  and  God — either,  whether  God  would, 
or  whether  he  could,  help  us.  David  had  repelled  the  former,  and 
now  shows  that  the  latter  also  cannot  prevail  against  him.  When- 
ever a  human  being  on  earth  has  obtained  help,  that  help  comes 
from  the  Lord,  for  idols,  the  offspring  of  human  thought,  which 
are  worshipped  by  the  heathen,  are  utterly  impotent.  The  Psalmist 
is  so  thoroughly  affected  by  this  truth,  that  he  realizes  the  prophetic 
presentiment  that  every  nation  should  eventually  worship  Him. 
He  states  this  great  hope  with  a  profound  allusion  to  its  final  cause, 
namely,  "All  the  heathen  whom  thou  hast  made"  Indeed  no 
greater  contradiction  is  to  be  conceived  than  that  the  spirit  derived 
from  God  should  for  ever  be  unmindful  of  its  origin.  Verse  8 
might  give  rise  to  the  supposition  that  he  referred  to  other  gods 
besides  the  God  of  Israel.  But  who  are  the  gods  of  the  heathen, 
if  the  God  of  Israel  has  made  all  the  heathen  ?  He  furnishes  the 
unmistakeable  reply  by  saying  in  verse  10,  "Thou  art  God  alone/' 

V.  11.  Although  immersed  in  outward  trouble,  we  find  that  the 
Psalmist,  after  the  manner  of  real  men  of  prayer,  prefaced  the  peti- 
tion, "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,  and  deliver  us  from  evil/' 
by  the  petition,  "Let  thy  name  be  hallowed  in  me/'  He  confesses 
that  his  mind  is  as  yet  imperfectly  illumined  and  his  heart  imper- 
fectly fixed  on  God;  stamping  as  untrue  every  standard  and  rule 
of  life  which  is  contrary  to  the  eternal  laws  of  God,  he  prays  that 
by  growing  enlightenment  he  might  attain  to  a  more  perfect  know- 


358  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

ledge  of  the  ways  of  God,  and  that  all  the  interests  and  desires 
which  usually  affect  the  hearts  of  men,  might  in  his  case  become 
subordinate  to  the  one  thing  needful,  "to  fear  the  name  of  the 
Lord/' 

F.  12,  13.  He  contemplates  the  paramount  importance  of  his 
petition,  "to  fear  the  name  of  the  Lord  with  an  undivided  heart." 
He  has  already  experienced  mercy  so  great  and  undeserved,  that 
his  gratitude  for  it  shall  never  cease.  The  deliverances  of  the 
Lord  ought  to  be  received  in  such  a  manner  that  every  one  of  them 
should  bring  us  a  step  nearer  to  heaven,  and  prompt  us  to  serve 
the  Lord  with  a  more  undivided  heart. 

F.  14 — 16.  He  refers  now  to  his  outward  trouble.  His  adver- 
saries are  they  who  have  not  set  the  Lord  before  them — who  take 
even  offence  at  his  filial  piety,  as  appears  from  verse  17  and  other 
Psalms.  The  ground  of  his  hope  that  the  Lord  would  grant  his 
prayer  lies  neither  in  a  sense  of  innocence,  nor  personal  claims,  to 
which  he  feels  himself  entitled,  but  in  that  glorious  name  which 
the  Lord  has  given  himself.  (Exod.  xxxiv.  6.)  David  appropri- 
ates his  share  of  the  blessing,  which  lies  in  that  name  of  the  Lord, 
not  according  to  a  specific  prerogative,  whether  as  king  or  a  favour- 
ite of  God,  but  resting  on  a  title  which  he  held  in  common  with 
the  meanest  in  Israel,  that  of  a  servant  of  God. 

F.  17.  His  desire  is  that  the  whole  world  might  see  that  none 
trust  the  Lord  in  vain.  His  enemies  had  reproached  the  faith 
which  he  had  exhibited  in  his  affliction.  He  prays  that  their 
unbelief  should  be  put  to  shame,  which  unfits  them  to  think  of  a 
living  God,  for  ever  working  by  love,  and  causes  them  to  regard  the 
Lord  as  an  indolent  being,  who,  deaf  to  the  cry  of  his  children, 
shuts  himself  up  in  heaven.  These  words  do  not,  as  some  think, 
necessarily  imply  David's  asking  for  some  specific  or  miraculous 
token,  (Psalm  Ixxi.  7 :)  he  regards  deliverance  itself  as  a  token. 
We  ask  whether  it  be  not  true,  that  in  the  measure  as  we  recog- 
nize the  mysteriously  governing  influence  of  God  in  every  day 
events,  we  regard  those  things  as  signs  and  miracles,  which  to 
others  appear  as  common-place? 


PSALM  LXXXVIL 
t 

A  GLORIOUS  psalm.  Its  theme  is  the  great  hope  of  the  conversion 
of  the  world  to  the  sanctuary  of  Zion.  The  supposition  that  its 
date  is  to  be  referred  to  the  time  of  the  deliverance  of  Jerusalem 
from  Sennacherib,  is  highly  probable,  from  the  fact  that  several 
psalms  of  the  sons  of  Korah  celebrate  in  consequence  of  that 
event  the  praises  of  Jerusalem,  (Psalm  xlvi.  xlviii.  Ixxvi.)  and 


.      PSALM   LXXXVII.  359 

connect  similar  hopes  with  them.  (Psalm  xlvi.  11;  Ixxvi.  12.)  It 
might  be  objected  to  this  supposition,  that  Babylon  and  not  Assy- 
ria is  mentioned  as  offering  homage,  and  that  Babylon  did  only  then 
begin  to  get  more  known  in  Palestine.  But  it  may  also  be  used  as 
a  confirmation.  It  is  said  (Psalm  Ixxvi.  12,)  that  the  surrounding 
nations  should  offer  gifts;  we  know  also  that  Babylon  sent  an 
embassy,  (vide  ad.  Psalm  xlviii.  10,  11;)  and  2  Chron.  xxxii.  23 
states  that  other  nations  brought  gifts  for  Hezekiah  and  the  tem- 
ple. As  has  been  remarked  ad.  Psalm  Ixxviii.  12,  the  probable 
reference  is  to  the  Egyptians  and  the  Ethiopians,  who  were  equally 
endangered  by  Sennacherib.  Does  this  not  render  it  probable  that 
the  Psalmist  should  specify  those  nations  which  brought  gifts,  and 
on  that  account  name  Babylon  and  be  silent  about  Assyria? 
Philistia  may  have  belonged  to  them,  since  Hezekiah  had  but 
lately  reduced  the  Philistines  to  subjection.  (2  Kings  xviii.  8.) 
Add  to  all  this,  that  Isaiah,  who  wrote  at  that  time,  gives  expres- 
sion to  similar  hopes.  He  says  of  Ethiopia,  "At  that  day  shall  a 
present  be  brought  to  the  Lord  of  hosts  from  the  nation  extended 
and  fierce — the  people  terrible  from  the  district  beyond  (Meroe,) 
a  nation  most  mighty  and  victorious,  whose  land  is  cut  through  by 
rivers,  to  the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  Mount 
Zion."  (Isaiah  xviii.  7.)  And  of  Egypt  and  Assyria,  "In  that 
day  shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and  Assyria,  even  a  bless- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  land,  whom  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  bless, 
saying,  Blessed  be  Egypt  my  people,  and  Assyria  the  work  of  my 
hands,  and  Israel  mine  inheritance."  (Isa.  xix.  24,  25.) 

A    PSALM  or  Song  of  the  Sons  of  Koran. 

A 

1  HIS  FOUNDATION  IS  IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNTAINS. 

2  THE  LORD  LOVETH  THE  GATES  OF  ZION 
MORE  THAN  ALL  THE  DWELLINGS  OF  JACOB. 

3  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee, 
0  city  of  God.     Selah. 

4  "I  will  name  Rahab  and  Babylon  among  them  that  know 

me: 

Behold  Philistia,  and  Tyre,  with  Ethiopia; 
These  were  born  there." 

5  And  of  Zion  it  shall  be  said, 

This  and  that  man  was  born  in  her : 

And  the  highest  himself  shall  establish  her. 

6  The  LORD  shall  count,  when  he  writeth  up  the  nations: 
These  were  born  there.     Selah* 

7  Singers  and  dancers: 

All  my  springs  of  joy  are  in  thee. 


360  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

V.  1.  The  Psalmist  in  praising  the  everlasting  foundations  of 
Jerusalem,  has  probably  still  before  his  mind's  eye  the  miraculous 
deliverance  of  the  city,  which  has  but  just  transpired,  (see  Psalms 
xlviii.  4;  xlvi.  5,  6.)  Since  the  gates  of  a  city  form  a  chief  por- 
tion of  its  fortifications,  the  phrase,  "Gates  of  Zion,"  is  to  be 
regarded  as  a  poetic  description  of  the  whole  of  Zion,  just  as  Zion, 
as*a  chief  portion  of  the  city,  designates  the  entire  city,  (see  v.  3.) 
On  that  account  "  mountains"  are  spoken  of  (the  city  being  built 
on  three  hills,  Psalm  cxxv.  2,)  which  are  here  called  the  "holy 
mountains,"  because  they  became  holy  on  account  of  the  sanctu- 
aries which  were  erected  on  them.  There  is  no  reference  to  Jeru- 
salem according  to  her  earthly  aspects,  with  her  streets,  and  walls, 
and  palaces.  Why  should  that  be  loved  more  than  all  the  dwell- 
ings of  Jacob?  The  reference  is  to  the  eternal  glory  of  Jerusalem, 
in  that  it  was  the  centre  of  adoration  of  the  true  God.  If  that  city 
where  the  king  resides  is  the  capital,  the  eye  and  crown  of  a  coun- 
try, how  much  more  is  Jerusalem  the  eye  and  crown  of  the  land, 
where  the  Lord  resides  in  the  sanctuary,  worshipped  by  all  Israel ! 
"  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee."  Is  it  possible  that  more 
glorious  things  can  be  said  of  a  city,  than  that  as  the  heart  with 
the  fount  of  its  warm  blood  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  body,  so 
she  is  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  nations,  that  out  of  her  should  be 
carried  to  them  the  knowledge  of  the  only  true  God  and  of  his 
Son?  He  hears  her  spoken  of  by  myriads  of  voices,  but  he  hears 
first  the  Lord  himself  proclaiming  the  future  glory  of  Zion. 

F.  2 — 4.  The  nations  arise  in  rapid  succession — they  are  aston- 
ished, and  engage  in  praises,  (v.  5.)  At  last,  as  if  instructed  by 
their  voices,  the  Psalmist  himself  begins  the  praise,  (v.  6,  7.) 
The  miracles  which  the  mighty  arm  of  the  Lord  had  then  achieved 
before  Jerusalem — when  he  made  "wars  to  cease  unto  the  end  of 
the  earth,"  (Psalm  xlvi.  10,)  when  foreign  nations,  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  works  of  the  God  of  Israel,  came  with  gifts — might 
well  originate  the  presentiment  of  a  time  when  the  God  of  Israel 
should  be  acknowledged  as  the  only  God  on  earth.  "  To  be  born" 
in  the  holy  city,  i.  e.  to  belong  to  her  as  a  child;  we  Christians, 
as  many  of  us  as  are  of  heathen  extraction,  must  recognize  our 
spiritual  mother  in  the  congregation  of  Israel.  Was  it  not  the 
Christian  mother  Church  of  Jerusalem  that  gave  her  breasts  to  the 
entire  heathen  world,  which  with  the  Son  scattered  the  knowledge 
of  the  Father  over  the  earth  ?  Are  not  we  the  branches  of  the 
wild  olive  tree,  that  have  grafted  upon  the  good  olive  tree  ?  (Rom. 
xi.  17.)  All  the  nations  which  are  here  specified — Egypt,  Baby- 
lon, Philistia,  and  Abyssinia — became  all  engrafted  at  the  time 
when  love  and  missionary  zeal  were  glowing  in  the  Christian 
Church,  and  regarded  Zion<as  their  spiritual  mother.  That  was 
the  glorious  time  when  it  was  said  of  them  other  Church,  "Sing,  0 
barren,  thou  that  didst  not  bear;  break  forth  into  singing,  and  cry 


PSALM   LXXXVIII.  361 

aloud,  thou  that  didst  not  travail  with  child :  for  more  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  desolate  than  the  children  of  the  married  wife,  saith 
the  Lord."  (Isa.  liv.  1.)  And  again,  "Lift  up  thine  eyes  round 
about,  and  see :  all  they  gather  themselves  together,  they  come  to 
thee:  thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall  be 
nursed  at  thy  side."  (Isa.  Ix.  4.) 

V.  5.  One  shall  tell  the  other  how  many  nations  shall  find  in 
her  their  spiritual  home :  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  the  Lord  who 
builds  her  so  gloriously. 

F.  6.  The  Lord  will  enrol  his  new  citizens  in  the  book  of  life, 
as  Isaiah  says,  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  he  that  is  left 
in  Zion,  and  he  that  remaineth  in  Jerusalem,  shall  be  called  holy, 
even  every  one  that  is  written  among  the  living  in  Jerusalem." 
(Isa.  iv.  3.) 

V.  7.  Every  spring  of  joy  shall  be  opened  there.  Isaiah  says 
of  the  day  of  Messiah,  "With  joy  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the 
wells  of  salvation."  (Isa.  xii.  3.)  They  shall  for  ever  praise  the 
Lord  with  songs,  the  timbrel,  and  the  dance.  (Psalm  cxlix.  3;  cl.  4; 
cf.  Exod.  xv.  20.) 


PSALM  LXXXVIII. 

HEMAN,  the  author  of  this  psalm,  is  probably  the  Levite  chief 
musician  of  David,  who  (1  Chron.  vi.  33;  xv.  17)  is  mentioned 
along  with  Ethan,*  (vi.  44;  xv.  17,)  as  also  the  very  next  psalm  is 
ascribed  to  Ethan,  the  Ezrahite.  Heman,  the  Levite,  who  is  called 
(1  Chron.  xxv.  1.  5)  a  seer,  i.  e.  a  prophet  and  chief  musician, 
was  of  the  race  of  Kahath,  the  son  of  Levi,  of  whom  Korah  also 
was  descended,  so  that  this  psalm  may  be  ascribed  to  the  Korahites 
in  general,  but  to  Heman  in  particular. 

A  song  of  deep  complaint,  the  occasion  of  which  is  not  known. 
His  despair  is  so  great  that  he  was  unable,  as  is  the  case  in  other 
psalms,  to  rise  to  joyous  confidence  by  means  of  his  song;  but 
while  a  mourner  can  still  carry  his  sorrow  to  the  Lord,  and  call 
upon  him  as  his  Saviour,  hope  cannot  entirely  have  fled  from  his 
soul. 

1  A     SONG  or  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah.     To  the 
J\.     chief  Musician,   to  be   sung   to   the   flute  (?)  an 

instruction  of  Heman  the  Ezrahite. 

2  0  Lord  God  of  my  salvation, 

I  have  cried  day  and  night  before  thee : 

*  On  the  difficulties  see  the  remarks  on  the  title  of  Psalm  Ixxxix. 
31 


362  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

3  Let  my  prayer  come  before  thee  : 
Incline  thine  ear  unto  my  cry ; 

4  For  my  soul  is  full  of  troubles : 

And  my  life  draweth  nigh  unto  Sheol ; 

5  I  am  counted  with  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit : 
I  am  as  a  man  that  hath  no  strength : 

6  I  am  alone  among  the  dead. 

Like  the  slain  that  lie  in  the  grave, 

Whom  thou  rememberest  no  more  : 

And  they  (who)  are  cut  off  from  thy  hand. 

7  Thou  hast  laid  me  in  the  lowest  pit, 
In  darkness,  in  the  deeps. 

8  Thy  wrath  lieth  hard  upon  me, 

And  thou  hast  oppressed  me  with  all  thy  waves.    Selah. 

9  Thou  hast  put  away  mine  acquaintance  far  from  me ; 
Thou  hast  made  me  an  abomination  unto  them : 

I  am  shut  up,  and  I  cannot  come  forth. 

10  Mine  eye  mourneth  by  reason  of  affliction: 
LORD,  I  have  called  daily  upon  thee, 

I  have  stretched  out  my  hands  unto  thee, 

11  "  Wilt  thou  show  wonders  to  the  dead  ? 
Shall  the  dead  arise  and  praise  thee  ?     Selah. 

12  Shall  thy  lovingkindness  be  declared  in  the  grave? 
Or  thy  faithfulness  in  destruction  ? 

13  Shall  thy  wonders  be  known  in  the  dark  ? 

And  thy  righteousness  in  the  land  of  forgetfulness?" 

14  But  unto  thee  have  I  cried,  0  LORD  ; 

And  in  the  morning  shall  my  prayer  prevent  thee. 

15  LORD,  why  castesth  thou  off  my  soul? 
Why  hidest  thou  thy  face  from  me  ? 

16  I  am  afflicted  and  ready  to  die  from  my  youth  up: 
While  I  suffer  thy  terrors  I  am  distracted. 

IT  Thy  fierce  wrath  goeth  over  me ; 
Thy  terrors  stifle  me. 

18  They  surround  me  daily  like  water ; 
They  compass  me  about  together. 

19  Lover  and  friend  hast  thou  put  far  from  me, 
And  mine  acquaintance  into  darkness. 

V.  2 — -10.  The  troubles  of  the  complaining  bard  are  very  great. 
His  energies  are  checked,  his  friends  have  deserted  him,  and  he 
appears  to  himself  like  one  of  the  dead,  who  are  insensible  to  the 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  863 

genial  sun,  and  removed  from  the  favour  and  protection  of  God.* 
In  the  measure  as  the  night  of  melancholy  is  gloomy  and  enwraps 
all  around  in  her  sable  fold,  must  our  admiration  rise  for  the  faith 
of  him  who  withal  continues  in  prayer.  The  faith  of  the  tempted 
may  appear  like  an  extremely  slender  thread — for  such  is  the  effect 
of  melancholy — but  the  thread,  which  under  such  serious  circum- 
stances does  not  break,  cannot  be  altogether  powerless;  it  is 
stronger  than  the  most  courageous  confidence  of  sunny  days.  The 
Psalmist,  as  he  states  in  verse  9,  sees  no  outlet,  but  he  believes  in 
one,  else  why  should  he  pray  ? 

F.  11 — 13.  There  is  silence  in  the  land  of  the  dead;  we  Chris- 
tians clearly  know  that  their  Hallelujah  shall  hereafter  put  to  shame 
the  unbelievers,  who  used  to  mock  at  their  confidence  on  earth; 
though  now  they  triumph  over  their  silent  graves,  and  the  name 
of  God,  in  which  the  former  used  to  confide,  becomes  a  reproach 
here.  The  troubled  bard  prays  on  that  account  to  be  delivered 
from  going  down  into  the  pit  in  his  dumb  pain,  that  he  might  still 
be  privileged  to  declare  the  glory  and  honour  of  the  Lord  in  the 
land  of  the  living.  (Psalm  vi.  6.) 

V.  14 — 19.  He  lives  with  God;  from  early  morn  to  the  eve 
he  lives  with  him;  this  is  evident  from  his  pouring  out  his  soul 
before  the  Lord  at  early  morn.  It  may  therefore  be  assumed  that 
though  his  prayer  dies  away  in  the  accents  of  complaint,  the  light 
of  hope  continued  to  burn  in  his  soul. 


PSALM  LXXXIX. 

A  PLAINTIVE  psalm  of  a  faithful  subject  who  lived  during  the  last 
period  of  the  Jewish  empire,  probably  in  the  days  of  Jeconiah,  (cf. 
v.  46,)  who  after  a  reign  of  three  months  was  deposed  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  carried  into  exile  after  having  witnessed  the  plun- 
dering of  the  temple.  (2  Kings  xxiv.)  How  much  he  was  loved 
and  mourned  for  by  his  people,  appears  from  Jer.  xxii.  24 — 29. 
The  conclusion  of  the  psalm  sounds  almost  as  if  the  king  himself 
were  complaining  of  his  humiliation,  especially  verse  48 ;  but  that 
verse  is  perfectly  intelligible  on  the  supposition  that  the  Psalmist 
was  the  king's  friend,  and  if  the  rendering  of  verse  19,  which  we 
have  given  in  a  note,  should  be  correct,  the  king  can  in  no  wise 
be  regarded  as  the  author.  It  has  been  shown  in  Psalms  xlii. 
Ixxxiv.,  that  Korahite  Levites  used  to  compose  psalms  in  the 

*  "A  poetical  description  of  the  condition  of  the  dead,  not  as  it  is  in 
reality,  but  as  it  appears  to  us." — J.  D.  Michcelis. 


364  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

soul  of  David,  i.  e.  identifying  their  interests  so  completely  with 
his  that  they  spoke  in  his  name.  The  historical  references  which 
we  have  furnished  would  contradict  the  title,  if  Ethan  the  Ezra- 
nite  is  held  to  be  the  Levite  musician  of  that  name,  or  that  Ethan 
the  Ezrahite  who  was  famed  for  his  wisdom,*  1  Kings  iv.  31; 

v.  11. 

The  Psalmist  begins  in  joyous  and  trustful  strains,  with  his  con- 
viction of  the  infallibility  of  the  promise  made  to  David,  (v.  2 — 5.) 
The  grounds  of  his  faith  are  the  majesty  and  the  power  of  God, 
which  rule  universal  nature,  while  it  is  the  ground  of  his  Jiope 
that  this  God  is  the  King  of  Israel,  (v.  6 — 19.)  Thus  confirming 
his  heart  in  faith  and  hope,  he  reminds  God  of  the  promises  which 
David  had  received  by  Nathan,  (v.  20 — 38,)  but  gives  free  course 
to  his  complaints,  that  the  calamities  of  the  present  presented  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  glory  of  those  prospects,  (v.  39 — 52.) 

Instruction  of  Ethan  the  Ezrahite. 

2  I  will  sing  of  the  mercies  of  the  LORD  for  ever ; 

With  my  mouth  will  I  make  known  thy  faithfulness  to 
all  generations. 

3  For  I  have  said,  Mercy  shall  be  built  up  for  ever : 

Thy  faithfulness  hast  thou  established  in  the  very  heavens. 

4  "I  have  made  a  covenant  with  my  chosen, 
I  have  sworn  unto  David  my  servant, 

5  Thy  seed  will  I  establish  for  ever, 

And  build  up  thy  throne  to  all  generations.     Selah." 

6  And  the  heavens  shall  praise  thy  wonders,  0  LORD  : 
Thy  faithfulness  also  in  the  congregation  of  the  saints. 

7  For  who  in  the  clouds  can  be  compared  unto  the  LORD  ? 
Who  among  the  sons  of  the  mighty  can  be  likened  unto 

the  LORD  ? 

8  God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  assembly  of  the  saints, 
And  to  be  had  in  reverence  of  all  them  that  are  about  him. 

9  0  LORD  God  of  hosts,  who  is  a  strong  LORD  like  unto  thee  ? 
Or  to  thy  faithfulness  round  about  thee  ? 

10  Thou  rulest  the  raging  of  the  sea : 

When<the  waves  thereof  arise,  thou  stillest  them. 

11  Thou  hast  broken  Egypt  in  pieces,  as  one  that  is  slain ; 
Thou  hast  scattered  thine  enemies  with  thy  strong  arm. 

*  But  he  seems  to  have  been  none  other  than  the  Levite.  See  Keil  on 
Chronicles,  p.  164,  on  1  Chron.  ii.  6,  and  Movers  on  Chronicles,  p.  237. 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  365 

12  The  heavens  are  thine,  the  earth  also  is  thine : 

As  for  the  world  and  the  fulness   thereof,  thou  hast 
founded  them. 

13  The  north  and  the  south  thou  hast  created  them: 
Tabor  and  Hermon  rejoice  in  thy  name. 

14  Thou  hast  a  mighty  arm : 

Strong  is  thy  hand,  and  high  is  thy  right  hand. 

15  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  foundation  of  thy  throne: 
Mercy  and  truth  shall  go  before  thy  face. 

16  Blessed  is  the  people  that  know  the  joyful  sound: 
They  shall  walk,  0  LORD,  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance. 

17  In  thy  name  shall  they  rejoice  all  the  day: 
And  in  thy  righteousness  shall  they  be  exalted. 

18  For  thou  art  the  glory  of  their  strength : 
And  by  thy  favour  our  horn  shall  be  exalted. 

19  For  the  LORD  is  our  shield: 

And  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  is  our  king.* 

20  Then  thou  spakest  in  vision  to  thy  holy  one, 

And  saidst,  "I  have  laid  help  upon  one  that  is  mighty; 
I  have  exalted  one  chosen  out  of  the  people. 

21  I  have  found  David  my  servant; 
With  my  holy  oil  have  I  anointed  him : 

22  With  whom  my  hand  shall  be  established: 
Mine  arm  also  shall  strengthen  him. 

23  The  enemy  shall  not  overwhelm  him ; 
Nor  the  son  of  wickedness  quench  him. 

24  And  I  will  beat  down  his  foes  before  his  face, 
And  plague  them  that  hate  him. 

25  But  my  faithfulness  and  my  mercy  shall  be  with  him : 
And  in  my  name  shall  his  horn  be  exalted. 

26  I  will  set  his  hand  also  in  the  sea, 
And  his  right  hand  in  the  rivers. 

27  He  shall  cry  unto  me,  "  Thou  art  my  father, 
My  God,  and  the  rock  of  my  salvation." 

28  Also  I  will  make  him  my  firstborn, 
Higher  than  the  kings  of  the  earth. 

29  My  mercy  will  I  keep  for  him  for  evermore, 
And  my  covenant  shall  stand  fast  with  him. 

30  His  seed  also  will  I  make  to  endure  for  ever, 
And  his  throne  as  the  days  of  heaven. 

*  Or,  "For  from  the  Lord  is  our  shield,  and  from  the  Holy  One  in  Israel 
our  King." 

31* 


366  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

31  If  his  children  forsake  my  law, 
And  walk  not  in  my  judgments ; 

32  If  they  profane  my  statutes, 
And  keep  not  my  commandments ; 

33  Then  will  I  visit  their  transgression  with  the  rod, 
And  their  iniquity  with  stripes. 

34  Nevertheless  my  lovingkindness  will  I  not  utterly  take 

from  him, 
Nor  suffer  my  faithfulness  to  fail. 

35  My  covenant  will  I  not  break, 

Nor  alter  the  thing  that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips. 

36  Once  have  I  sworn  by  my  holiness 
That  I  will  not  lie  unto  David. 

87  His  seed  shall  endure  for  ever, 

And  his  throne  as  the  sun  before  me. 

38  It  shall  be  established  for  ever  as  the  moon, 
And  the  witness  in  heaven  is  faithful.     Selah. 

39  But  thou  hast  cast  off  and  abhorred, 
Thou  hast  been  wrath  with  thine  anointed. 

40  Thou  hast  made  void  the  covenant  of  thy  servant : 
Thou  hast  profaned  his  crown  ~by  casting  it  to  the  ground. 

41  Thou  hast  broken  down  all  his  hedges ; 
Thou  hast  brought  his  strongholds  to  ruin. 

42  All  that  pass  by  the  way  spoil  him : 
He  is  a  reproach  to  his  neighbours. 

43  Thou  hast  set  up  the  right  hand  of  his  adversaries ; 
Thou  hast  made  all  his  enemies  to  rejoice. 

44  Thou  hast  also  turned  the  edge  of  his  sword, 
And  hast  not  made  him  to  stand  in  the  battle. 

45  Thou  -hast  made  his  splendour  to  cease, 
And  cast  his  throne  down  to  the  ground. 

46  The  days  of  his  youth  hast  thou  shortened : 
Thou  hast  covered  him  with  shame.     Selah. 

47  How  long,  LORD  ?  wilt  thou  hide  thyself  for  ever  ? 
Shall  thy  wrath  burn  like  fire  ? 

48  Remember  how  short  my  time  is : 

To  what  vanity  thou  hast  made  all  men. 

49  What  man  is  he  that  liveth,  and  shall  not  see  death? 
Shall  he  deliver  his  soul  from  the  hand  of  Sheol  ?    Selah. 

50  Lord,  where  are  thy  eternal  lovingkindnesses, 
Which  thou  swarest  unto  David  in  thy  truth? 

51  Remember,  Lord,  the  reproach  of  thy  servants ; 

How  I  do  bear  in  my  bosom  the  reproach  of  all  the 
mighty  people; 


PSALM   LXXXIX.  367 

52  Wherewith  thine  enemies  have  reproached,  0  LORD  ; 
Wherewith  they  have  reproached  the  footsteps  of  thine 

anointed. 
Blessed  be  the  LORD  for  evermore.     Amen,  and  Amen. 

V.  2 — 5.  The  Psalmist,  from  the  full  assurance  of  the  infalli- 
bility of  Divine  promise,  begins  with  praising  in  the  name  of  all 
generations  the  mercy  of  God,  whose  faithfulness,  far  exalted  above 
earth  and  its  changes,  is  established  in  the  heavens.  His  confidence 
is  the  result  of  a  Divine  promise,  the  burden  of  which  he  relates. 
From  a  comparison  of  this  trustful  beginning  with  his  sad  complaint 
from  verse  89  downwards,  we  may  gather  the  true  state  of  mind  of 
devout  people  in  great  affliction.  They  are  neither  so  callous  and 
insensible,  that  the  stroke  of  the  proving  hand  of  God  makes  no 
impression  upon  them,  nor  so  soft  and  indolent  that  they  at  once 
lose  all  their  confidence.  Their  eyes  shed  tears  while  joy  sits 
enthroned  on  their  brow. 

V.  6 — 15.  Little-minded  mortals,  overcome  by  adversities, 
frequently  doubt  the  faithfulness  of  God.  But  the  wonderful  ways 
of  the  Lord  are  known  and  his  faithfulness  praised  in  the  congre- 
gation of  the  saints  in  heaven.  He  is  God  alone.  The  might  and 
strength  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  are  his  gift.  He  has  the 
ability  to  fulfil  his  promises,  while  his  faithfulness,  which  encircles 
him  like  a  stream,  is  the  pledge  of  his  willingness.  He  is  the  God 
who  of  old  restrained  the  billows  of  the  main,  when  he  led  his 
people  through  it,  and  slew  the  sea-monster*  of  Egypt.  He  is  the 
God  who  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  How  then  should  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  be  able  to  refuse  obedience  to  his  command- 
ments? He  has  made  the  north  and  the  south,  Tabor  in  the  west 
and  snowy  Hebron  in  the  east.  He  has  made  them  as  it  were  the 
visible  praises  of  his  name.  Immoveable  justice  controls  his  invin- 
cible arm,  and  mercy  and  truth  are  for  ever  before  his  face.  Where 
is  the  doubter? 

V.  16 — 19.  The  people  may  well  rejoice  who  worship  this  God, 
and  are  called  to  his  feasts  by  the  sound  of  the  trumpet :  their 
strength  is  in  their  strong  God.  The  horn  is  the  symbol  of  strength 
and  power.  (1  Sam.  ii.  1;  Ps.  xcii.  11.) 

V.  20 — 38.  Reverting  to  the  Divine  promise  of  verses  4,  5, 
which  is  preserved  in  2  Samuel  vii.,  he  now  details  it  poetically. 
(The  author  of  Psalm  cxxxii.,  which  was  composed  on  the  occasion 
of  the  removal  of  the  ark  into  the  temple  of  Solomon,  supplicates  in 
virtue  of  this  promise  mercy  for  the  king.)  Nathan,  namely,  "thy 
holy  one/'  addressed  David,  not  of  his  own  accord,  but  he  heard 
the  word  of  God  in  a  moment  of  prophetic  ecstasy,  i.  e.  in  a  vision. 

*  Cf.  Gesenius  Thesaur.  sub.  v.  y^\ 


368  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

The  term  vision  is  used  in  the  prophets  of  revelations  to  the  mind, 
even  when  they  heard  the  utterance  of  the  Divine  voice  within. 
(Isa.  ii.  2;  Hab.  ii.  2.)  David  was  not  of  royal  extraction — he  was 
raised  from  the  people,  to  the  end  that  his  election  should  be  alto- 
gether the  Lord's  doing.  He  experienced  the  paternal  favour  of 
the  Lord :  the  young  shepherd  became  a  sovereign  whose  dominions 
extended  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  to  the  rivers  Euphra- 
tes and  Tigris.  If  the  kings  of  the  earth,  because  invested  with  great 
might  and  glory,  as  well  as  the  administration  of  justice,  are  called 
par  excellence,  the  sons  of  God,  then  David,  who  had  been  raised 
from  the  people,  and  only  desired  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God,  was  the  first-born  among  them.  The  sceptre  of  Israel  is 
to  remain  for  ever  with  his  posterity.  His  descendants,  on  trans- 
gressing, shall  indeed  feel  the  Father's  chastisement,  but  the  mercy 
of  God  shall  never  depart  from  David  as  it  was  removed  from  Saul. 
(2  Sam.  vii.  15.)  Men  are  accustomed  to  speak  of  things  terres- 
trial as  subjected  to  change,  and  of  things  celestial  as  exalted  above 
it.  So  when  the  sacred  bards  wish  to  indicate  eternal  duration, 
they  mention  the  duration  of  the  sun  and  the  moon.  (Jer.  xxxiii. 
20;  see  ad.  Psalm  Ixxii.  17.)  The  witness  is  not  less  trustworthy 
than  the  testimony  is  mighty :  for  he  is  not  a  man  who  might  speak 
the  untruth,  but  he  is  the  witness  in  the  clouds*  The  promise 
which  here  receives  so  solemn  an  attestation  from  God,  would,  how- 
ever, have  remained  unfulfilled,  if  after  the  fall  of  David's  kingdom, 
the  branch  had  not  sprouted  forth  from  the  felled  stem  of  Jesse, 
whose  kingdom  over  the  spiritual  Israel  shall  never  come  to  an  end. 
(Jer.  xi.  2;  Luke  i.  32,  33.) 

V.  39 — 46.  The  gloomy  present  is  now,  after  the  manner  of 
Ps.  xliv.  10,  placed  side  by  side  of  the  glorious  promises  and  for- 
mer doings  of  God.  Psalm  Ixxx.  describes  the  sad  condition  of 
the  last  days  of  the  kingdom  in  similar  terms.  "  Thou  hast  short- 
ened the  days  of  his  youth/ '  may  be  paraphrased  by,  "  Thou  hast 
made  him  by  trouble  an  old  man  in  his  youth/'  with  which  the 
following  clause,  "  Thou  hast  covered  him  with  shame/'  well 


>  — 

V.  47 — 52.  Convinced  that  this  life  is  not  given  to  man  for 
the  exclusive  purpose  of  his  consuming  it  in  grief  and  pain,  the 
Psalmist  earnestly  prays  for  speedy  refreshment,  especially  since 
death  is  frequently  so  early  and  sudden  in  its  appearance.  His 
prayer  is  chiefly  for  the  king,  but  the  ignominy  of  the  king  is  also 
that^of  his  faithful  servants;  he,  therefore,  complains  no  less  of 
the  ignominy  of  the  servants  of  God  than  of  his  own. 

*  Jewish  and  Christian  interpreters  understand  this  of  .the  rainbow,  but 
the  rainbow  which  appears  when  the  sun  pierces  the  rainy  clouds  is,  accord- 
ing to  Gen.  ix.  14,  15,  simply  the  pledge  that  the  flood  is  not  to  re-appear. 


PSALM  XC.  369 


PSALM  XC. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  song,  replete  with  solemnity  and  •  sadness,  as  hearty 
as  it  is  solemn.  It  is  not  difficult  to  recognize  in  it  the  voice  of 
the  ancient  lawgiver,*  The  ancient  bard  looks  to  God  at  the  close 
of  a  life  rich  in  trials  and  the  experience  of  many  hard  visitations, 
especially  of  a  fearful  mortality  of  his  fellows,  and  with  an  unfin- 
ished task  before  him.  He  looks  to  the  omnipotent  eternal  God, 
whom  he  has  known  as  the  refuge  of  his  people,  and  longs  for  the 
renewal  of  the  lifting  up  of  his  gracious  countenance.  The  psalm 
opens  with  the  expression  of  his  faith,  firm  as  a  rock,  in  the  eternal 
God,  (v.  2.)  Human  life  appears  especially  short  if  contrasted 
with  the  eternity  of  God,  (v.  3 — 6.)  The  wrath  of  God  against 
sin  is  the  cause  that  life  gets  so  shortened,  (v.  7 — 10.)  Men  do 
not  consider  this:  he  prays,  therefore,  for  true  wisdom,  (v.  11, 12.) 
An  enterprise  is  at  hand,  in  which  the  people  need  a  gracious  God : 
the  Psalmist  prays,  therefore,  for  the  Lord's  gracious  return, 
(v.  13—17.) 

A    PRAYER,  of  Moses  the  man  of  God. 

1  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in  all  generations. 

2  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 

Or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world, 
Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou  art  God. 

3  Thou  turnest  man  to  dust: 

And  sayest,  "Return,  ye  children  of  men." 

4  For  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight 
Are  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is  past, 
And  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 

5  Thou  carriest  them  away  as  with  a  flood ; 
They  are  as  a  sleep : 

In  the  morning  they  are  like  grass  which  groweth  up. 

6  In  the  morning  it  flourisheth,  and  groweth  up ; 
In  the  evening  it  is  cut  down,  and  withereth. 

*  The  sublime  pathos  and  solemnity  of  this  psalm  mount  to  the  Divine. 
Its  manner  and  matter  are  original  and  powerful,  and  would  justly  be 
ascribed  to  Moses  the  man  of  God,  if  the  motives  were  more  accurately 
known  which  justified  the  collector  in  that  supposition.  Moses  might  well 
have  been  seized  by  the  solemn  thoughts  of  this  psalm  at  the  end  of  his 
career  in  the  wilderness.  It  is  evident  that  the  bard  is  a  man  grown  old 
in  mighty  enterprises,  and  stands  on  the  verge  of  life." — Ewald.  See  also 
the  remarks  of  Stier  on  the  afiinities  of  the  language  of  this  psalm  and  that 
of  Moses.  • 


370  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

7  For  we  are  consumed  by  thine  anger, 

And  by  thy  wrath  are  we  troubled  (or,  "  we  pass  away.") 

8  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before  thee, 

Our  unknown  sin  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance. 

9  For  all  our  days  are  passed  away  in  thy  wrath : 
We  spend  our  years  as  a  tale  that  is  told.* 

10  The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten; 
And  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years, 
Yet  is  their  strength  labour  and  sorrow : 

For  it  is  soon  cut  off,  and  we  fly  away. 

11  Who  knoweth  the  power  of  thine  anger  ? 
Even  according  to  thy  fear,  so  is  thy  wrath. f 

12  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days, 

That  we  may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom. 

13  Return,  0  LORD,  how  long  ? 

And  have  mercy  upon  thy  servants. 

14  0  satisfy  us  early  with  thy  mercy ; 

That  we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad  all  our  days. 

15  Make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  wherein  thou  hast 

afflicted  us, 
And  the  years  wherein  we  have  seen  evil. 

16  Let  thy  work  appear  unto  thy  servants, 
And  thy  glory  unto  their  children. 

17  And  let  the  beauty  of  the  LORD  our  God  be  upon  us ; 
And  establish  thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us  ; 
Yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  establish  thou  it. 

V.  1,  2.  It  is  our  great  consolation  to  know  that  God  changes 
not,  and  that  the  God  of  our  fathers  is  our  God.  The  retrospect 
of  Moses  extended  only  over  the  then  brief  history  of  his  people 
and  that  of  the  patriarchs.  The  range  of  our  retrospect  is  greater 
and  more  extensive  by  far,  and  on  that  account  more  potent  to 
strengthen  our  faith,  for  it  embraces  the  innumerable  host  of  godly 
men,  whose  experience  falls  under  our  inspection,  who  read  the 
words  of  Moses  three  and  thirty  centuries  after  he  had  penned 
them.  God,  who  was  before  any  creature,  is  also  much  greater 
than  anything  which  he  has  created.  The  creature  may  well  look 
up  to  him.  In  writing  the  following  words  the  Psalmist  has  before 
his  mind's  eye  the  history  of  creation,  and  regards  the  mountains 
which  appeared  above  the  surface  of  the  waters  as  the  oldest  chil- 
dren of  the  earth,  (cf.  Psalm  civ.  5 — 8.) 

V.  3 — 6.     lhat  address  to  God  leads  to  the  thought,  which  fills 

*  Or,  "  Our  years  pass  away  as  a  thought." 

f  Luther:  "Who  is  afraid,  as  he  ought,  of  thy  wrath?" 


PSALM   XC.  371 

his  mind,  the  sad  thought  of  the  frailty  of  human  life.  As  long  as 
the  eyes  of  men  are  not  turned  heavenwards,  and  simply  range 
among  the  creatures  of  the  earth,  the  sense  of  that  frailty  is  not  so 
profound,  for  multitudes  of  creatures  count  their  life  by  the  day  or 
the  hour,  while  man  counts  it  by  years !  Moreover,  how  great  is 
the  skill  of  most  men  to  shut  the  thought  of  death  completely  out 
of  their  minds.  (Ps.  xlix.  12.)  Moses  describes  human  frailty  with 
regard  to  the  eternity  of  God.  The  generations  of  men  change 
fcefore  God,  as  if  their  were  but  a  moment  between  their  coming 
and  going :  now  he  suffers  one  generation  to  pass  away  and  now 
another  to  arise.*  The  future  seems  long  to  us,  but  the  past  short 
beyond  measure.  Short  seems  the  day  which  has  been  spent  in 
labour,  still  shorter  a  watch  of  the  night  (the  Hebrews  used  to 
count  three)  which  has  passed  during  our  sleep.  The  life  of  man 
is  equally  fleet  before  God.  When  it  is  passed,  it  appears  even  to 
man  to  condense  as  a  night's  sleep  into  one  moment.  It  is  like 
the  grass  in  the  east,  which  after  a  fruitful  shower  grows  up  high 
as  if  by 'a  magic  spell,  but  which,  when  the  scorching  east  wind 
passes  over  it,  completely  withers  within  two  days,  (James  i.  11;) 
is  cut  down  and  used  for  fuel. 

F.  7 — 10.  The  remembrance  of  the  longevity  of  the  patriarchs 
had  no  doubt  been  preserved :  it  gradually  decreased,  and  there 
were  probably  few  who,  in  the  days  of  Moses,  lived  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  But  on  those  who  had  left  Egypt  as  adults  fell  the 
specific  Divine  judgment,  that  with  the  exception  of  Caleb  and 
Joshua,  not  one  of  their  number  was  held  worthy  to  enter  the  pro- 
mised land,  and  that  they  should  die  during  their  forty  years'  wan- 
derings in  the  desert,  so  that  none  lived  more  than  eighty  years. 
Moses  felt  justified  in  complaining  that  the  wrath  of  God  was  short- 
ening human  life,  inasmuch  as  disease,  infirmity  of  old  age,  and 
the  struggle  of  death,  with  its  cold  perspiration,  did  not  belong  to 
the  original  destiny  of  man;  " for  though  horses,  cows,  and  other 
beasts  die,  their  death  is  not  owing  to  the  wrath  of  God,  but  a 
transient  necessity.  But  the  death  of  man  is  a  grievous  trouble, 
because  man  is  a  creature  destined  to  be  like  God."  (Luther.) 
Moses  was  therefore  right  in  ascribing  the  brevity  of  human  life 
to  the  wrath  of  God  on  account  of  sin,  since  no  doubt  sin,  the  pas- 

*  Luther:  "It  happens  that  just  as  men  die  daily  because  of  sin,  so  others 
are  born  daily,  but  on  the  same  condition  as  those  who  died,"  (cf.  Psalm 
civ.  29,  30.)  Modern  expositors  render  with  reference  to  Gen.  iii.  19, 
"Return  to  the  dust,  ye  children  of  men,"  so  Aben  Ezra  and  Kimchi. 
But  could  then  the  "to  the  dust"  be  dispensed  with  ?  The  sentence  more- 
over would  be  too  tautological,  hence  several  have  unduly  strained  the  ^ 

e.  g.  Amyraldus:  Nee  id  (dying)  uni  aut  alteri  tantum  accidit.  Sententia 
est,  quam  de  omnibus  in  universum  pronuncias,  cum  dicis :  filii  hominum, 
etc.  Many  old  commentators,  Bucer,  Strigel,  Calov,  Cocceius,  Geier, 
understand  "return  ye"  of  the  resuscitation  after  the  resurrection. 


372  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

sions,  intemperance,  covetousness,  and  unkindness,  etc.  are  the  chief 
causes  of  the  gradual  diminution  of  human  longevity,  while  the 
evil  consequences  of  sin  are  to  be  regarded  as  Divine  punishments. 
The  Psalmist  was  the  more  justified  in  his  assertion,  from  his  daily 
experience  in  witnessing  the  death  of  a  generation  of  six  hundred 
thousand  men.  He  deemed  it  necessary  to  remind  us  that  after 
all,  our  sense  of  the  enormity  of  sin  is  but  incomplete,  and  that 
therefore  we  are  more  guilty  before  God  than  we  are  aware.  He 
refers  therefore  to  sin,  which  though  hid  to  us  is  known  to  God; 
for  how  much  is  needed  to  attain  to  a  right  conception  of  but  one 
sin,  e.  g.  of  our  murmuring  against  God  in  trials.  He  names  three- 
score years  and  ten  as  the  common  term  of  human  life,  an  age 
which  in  our  days  is  reached  by  a  few  only,  and  the  average  would 
be  about  threescore  years.  Moses,  indeed,  lived  to  the  good  old 
age  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  years,  but  this  must  be  regarded  as 
an  exception,  for  Joshua  speaks  of  himself  as  highly  favoured  in 
having  retained  the  strength  of  manhood  up  to  his  eighty-fifth 
year.  (Josh.  xiv.  11.)  Moses  connects  his  complaints  of  "the  bre- 
vity of  human  life  with  those  of  its  troubles.  The  words  of  Job 
are  very  apposite:  "Man  that  is  born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days, 
and  full  of  trouble."  (Job  xiv.  1.)  Moses  therefore  was  not  satis- 
fied with  what  are  commonly  termed  the  joys  of  life;  his  vocation 
was  particularly  difficult  and  trying  during  the  hardship  of  the 
journey  through  the  desert  and  in  the  struggle  with  an  ever  obsti- 
nate people.*  This  sentiment  will  be  found  to  hold  universally 
true  the  more  men  try  to  go  through  life  on  the  "narrow  way;" 
"and  though  it  was  a  delightful  life,  it  was  yet  labour  and  vanity." 
How  could  it  be  otherwise,  even  if  we  simply  bear  in  mind  that 
"all  that  will  live  godly  shall  suffer  persecution."  (2  Tim.  iii.  12.) 
The  Psalmist  says,  "labour  and  vanity,"  adding,  "for  it  is  soon 
cut  oft7  and  we  fly  away."  Our  most  delightful  hours,  as  far  as 
they  are  of  purely  earthly  origin,  are  hours  only,  and  they  are 
gone  before  we  have  thoroughly  enjoyed  them. 

V.  11,  12.  How  difficult  is  it  to  bring  men  to  recognize  in  the 
troubles  of  life  the  chastening  hand  of  God,  and  to  induce  them  to 
walk  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  They  say,  as  St.  Jerome  once  said 
in  plaintive  strains,  that  men  would  be  worse  off  than  beasts  if  they 
were,  besides  all  the  misery  of  life,  still  to  believe  in  the  wrath  of 
God  both  here  and  hereafter.  Some  regard  the  troubles  of  life 
simply  as  the  fate  of  blind  necessity,  saying  that  death  ought  nei- 
ther to  be  desired  nor  feared.  Most  men  take  not  even  the  trouble 
of  thinking  about  it,  and  live  as  if  there  were  neither  death  nor 
God :  few,  few  only  get  humbled  by  trouble,  and  turn  their  eyes 

*  Luther  renders  Numb.  xii.  3,  "Moses  was  sorely  tried  above  all  the  men 
which  were  upon  the  face  of  the  earth; "  but  the  E.  V.  is  more  correct;  so 
also  Hengstenberg's  Authenticity,  of  the  Pentateuch,  vol.  i.  174. 


PSALM  XCI.  373 

meekly  and  penitently  to  the  direction  from  whence  their  strokes 
come.  How  touching  is  this  humble  prayer  for  true  wisdom  in  the 
mouth  of  the  much-tried  lawgiver.  He  desires  to  attain  to  greater 
obedience  to  the  Divine  commandments  in  consideration  of  the 
wrath  of  God  on  account  of  sin. 

V.  13 — 17.  When  the  Lord  purchased  his  people  and  led  them 
forth  out  of  Egypt,  his  mercy  was  richly  visible  over  them,  "as  an 
eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth 
abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings :  so  the 
Lord  alone  did  lead  him.  But  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and  kicked : 
then  he  forsook  God  who  made  him.  They  provoked  him  to  jeal- 
ousy with  strange  gods,  with  abominations  provoked  him  to  anger. 
And  he  said,  I  will  hide  my  face  from  them,  I  will  see  what  their 
end  shall  be :  for  they  are  a  very  froward  generation,  children  in 
whom  is  no  faith/'  Thus  complains  Moses  in  his  last  song,  (Deut. 
xxxii.  11 — 20;)  he  had  to  share  a  portion  of  the  wrath  of  God, 
(Deut.  xxxii.  50,  51;  Numb.  xx.  12;  cf.  Psalm  xcv.  8—11.)  This 
explains  his  prayer  for  the  return  of  Divine  favour,  that  the  Lord 
would  satisfy  them  "early,"  i.  e.  soon,  with  his  mercy,  once  more 
act  a  father's  part  to  them,  the  more  so,  as  the  solution-of  the  great 
problem  was  at  hand — they  had  reached  the  frontiers  of  the  land  for 
the  possession  of  which  they  were  to  fight.  We  know  from  the  life 
of  Moses  how  thoroughly  he  was  instructed  in  the  truth  that  through 
the  Lord  we  can  do  valiantly — -and  have  in  this  place  another  tes- 
timony of  the  same  truth :  the  importunate  repetition  of  his  prayer 
shows  how  well  he  knew  that  everything  depends  on  the  blessing 
of  God; 


PSALM  XCI. 

A  JOYOUS  psalm,  full  of  the  assurance  of  faith.*  The  precentor 
promises,  the  chorus  vows,  and  finally,  the  Lord  himself  gives  the 
promise. 

The  Precentor. 

1  TTE  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High 
JLL  Shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 

The  Choir. 

2  I  will  say  of  the  LORD, 

He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress : 
My  God;  in  him  will  I  trust. 

• 

*  Is  it  possible  to  set  forth  the  providence  of  God  in  a  more  trustful  and 
tender  manner? 
32 


374  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

The  Precentor. 

3  Surely  he  will  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fowler, 
And  from  the  noisome  pestilence. 

4  He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  feathers,  and  under  his  wings 

shalt  thou  trust : 
His  truth  is  thy  shield  and  buckler. 

5  Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night ; 
Nor  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day ; 

6  Nor  for  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness; 
Nor  for  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday. 

7  Though  a  thousand  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten  thousand  at 

thy  right  hand ; 
It  shall  not  come  nigh  thee. 

8  Yea*  with  thine  eyes  shalt  thou  behold 
And  see  the  reward  of  the  wicked. 

The  Choir. 

9  Yea,  thou,  0  Lord,  art  my  refuge. 

The  Precentor. 

The  Most  High  thou  hast  made  thy  habitation. 

10  There  shall  no  evil  befall  thee, 

No  plague  shall  come  nigh  thy  dwelling. 

11  For  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee, 
To  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways. 

12  They  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands, 
Lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 

13  Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion  and  adder: 

The  young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under 
feet. 

The  Precentor  and  the  Choir. 

14  "  Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon  me, 
Therefore  will  I  deliver  him : 

I  will  set  him  on  high,  because  he  hath  known  my  name. 

15  He  shall  call  upon  me,  and  I  -will  answer  him : 
I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble : 

I  will  deliver  him,  and  honour  him, 

16  With  long  life  will  I  satisfy  him, 
And  show  him  my  salvation." 

*  p^  is  used  in  the  same  sense  Psalm  xxxii.  6,  cf.  Koster. 


PSALM  xcr.  375 

V.  1.  Though  there  is  nothing  more  common  than  for  men  to 
profess  that  they  are  under  the  protection  of  the  Most  High,  yet 
are  there  but  few  who  really  believe  what  that  profession  involves. 
The  Psalmist  invites  us  to  consider  what  such  a  profession  implies. 
No  power  in  heaven  or  on  earth  can  prevail  against  the  Most  High, 
for  he  is  Almighty.  Men  who  are  under  his  protection  may  dis- 
card all  their  fears. 

V.  2.  He  is  confident  of  his  ability  to  pray  to  the  Almighty  in 
faith  as  to  his  reconciled  God — his  trust  and  hope.  That  faith  has 
its  steps  and  degrees.  It  is  but  rarely,  and  even  then  only  for  a 
limited  period,  that  we  witness  man's  faith  so  confident  of  his 
union  with  God,  and  of  his  being  an  instrument  of  the  Lord,  as  to 
entertain  an  absolute  certainty  under  even  particular  circum- 
stances, that  his  prayer  will  be  granted  and  his  work  prosper.  It 
is  known  to  all  that  every  work  performed  in  the  Lord  must 
eventually  prosper,  and  that  in  the  hour  of  danger  things  cannot 
happen  to  us  otherwise  than  as  the  Lord  has  determined  them,  and 
as  they  are  beneficial  to  us.  It  is  a  great  thing  not  to  stagger  in  this 
conviction.  But  he  only  is  a  truly  prophetic  man  who  feels  in  his 
own  heart  what  the  Lord  intends  to  do  in  present  emergency,  and 
speaks  and  acts  according  to  his  assurance.  Only  to  this  highest 
degree  of  faith  belongs  the  promise  which  the  Psalmist  goes  on  to 
set  forth;  this  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  promises  which  our 
Lord  himself  has  made  to  faith.  (Matt.  xvii.  20;  Luke  x.  19; 
Mark  xvi.  17,  18.) 

F.  3 — 8.  A  voice  from  heaven  seems  to  accompany  the  pro- 
mise of  God,  that  no  persecution  is  able  to  hurt  believers,  but  that 
the  pinions  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  them  as  a  hen  spreads  her 
wings  over  her  chicken,  and  that  every  arrow  shall  fall  back  power- 
less from  the  certainty  of  his  promise.  The  Psalmist  expands  this 
thought  on  account  of  the  variety  of  dangers  and  perils  to  which 
we  are  exposed.  We  may  paraphrase  it  as  follows:  "Whatever 
species  of  weapon  the  tempter  may  use  against  the  children  of 
God,  whenever  and  wherever  he  may  come,  the  protection  of  the 
Lord  is  all-sufficient,  and  you  need  not  seek  for  any  other.  As  a 
general,  conscious  of  having  a  great  work  to  perform,  stands  with  a 
calm  look  and  firm  foot,  while  the  balls  whiz  past  him  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left,  saying,  I  know  that  the  ball  which  is  to  touch 
me  is  not  yet  cast;  so  stands  a  prophetic  believer  in  danger's  hour, 
conscious  that  the  lightning  will  go  past  his  head,  that  the  waters 
will  dry  up  at  his  feet,  and  the  arrow  fall  back  from  his  chest, 
because  the  Lord  willeth  it  thus.  Have  not  men  of  faith  been  seen, 
filled  with  this  confidence,  to  rush  into  the  ranks  of  the  foe,  to 
struggle  through  tempest  and  wave,  and  to  sleep  in  the  midst  of 
those  who  were  infected  with  the  pestilence?"  There  is  a  great 
beauty  in  the  Psalmist's  borrowing  his  figures  from  pestilence  and 


376  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

disease.  For  the  singular  fact,  that  fearless  confidence  is  a  certain 
preservative  against  contagion,  explains  to  us  how  assurance  of 
faith  is  a  breastplate  in  the  hour  of  danger,  from  which  the  poisoned 
arrow  must  fall  back.  The  arrow  that  flieth  by  noonday  may  also 
be  explained  of  the  Simoom,  or  the  sun-stroke,  as  the  cause  of  dis- 
ease and  death. 

V..9 — 13.  The  believer's  repeated  confession  that  God  is  his 
sole  refuge,  is  again  responded  to  by  the  most  consoling  promise. 
No  evil  shall  befall  them.  Their  path  through  life  lies  across  many 
stones  and  rocks,  but  they  shall  not  stumble,  for  invisible  hands 
carry  them — guardian  angels  surround  them.  Hostile  and  destruc- 
tive powers  of  nature  cannot  prevail  against  them.  (Luke  x.  19.) 
Satan  cited  this  beautiful  and  rich  promise  in  support  of  his  futile 
effort  to  tempt  our  Lord  to  the  display  of  a  vain  act  of  prowess. 
(Matt.  iv.  6.)  This  promise  may  be  said  to  have  been  made  with 
a  special  reference  to  Christ,  not  because  Satan  applies  it  to  him, 
but  because  that  oneness  with  God,  which  is  assured  that  particu- 
lar prayers  will  be  granted  and  particular  works  will  prosper, 
received  in  no  instance  a  greater  exemplification  than  in  his. 
Satan,  however,  misapplied  the  promise,  for  it  is  said,  "He  shall 
give  his  angels  charge  over  thee  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways" 
which,  however,  applies  only  to  ways  traced  out  l>y  God — to  the 
ways  of  duty  and  vocation.  The  tempter  limited  our  Lord  to  a 
work  of  selfish  vanity,  and  God  is  not  a  servant  to  sin. 

V.  14 — 16.  God  himself  appears  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
still  more  profound  impression  of  that  rich  consolation,  and  of  con- 
firming the  faith  of  his  servants — "He  sets  his  love  upon  me — 
knows  my  name — calls  upon  me;"  these  are  the  characteristics  of 
believing  godliness;  the  Lord  will  draw  nigh  to  those  who  thus 
draw  nigh  to  him.  (James  iv.  8.)  Long  life  being  mentioned 
among  the  promised  goods,  corresponds  to  the  character  of  the  old 
covenant,  which  referred  a  sensuous  people  to  temporal  reward. 
(Deut.  v.  16.)  We  have  already  observed,  e.  g.  Psalm  xxxvii.  9, 
that  the  Divinely-inspired  Psalmist  had  more  spiritual  conceptions 
of  those  passages  which  the  common  Israelites  took  in  a  literal 
sense.  The  Psalmist  may,  therefore,  at  the  time  when  he  was 
composing  this  sublime  psalm,  have  had  the  presentiment  of  some- 
thing more  than  the  extension  of  temporal  existence  in  speaking 
of  long  life.  So  the  apostles  employed  the  terms  death  and  life, 
light  and  darkness,  peace  and  righteousness,  and  others  with  which 
they  were  familiar  from  the  Old  Testament,  in  a  far  more  profound 
sense.  •• 


PSALM  xcir.  877 


PSALM  XCII. 

SONGS  accompanied  with  music  used  to  be  sung  on  Sabbaths  as 
well  as  on  other  festive  occasions.  Several  songs  seem  to  be  strung 
together  in  this  portion  of  the  Psalms.*  This  one  celebrates  the 
righteousness  of  the  Divine  government  of  the  world,  as  it  is  praised 
in  many  others,  especially  Psalm  xxxvii. 

PSALM  or  Song  for  the  Sabbath  day. 

2  It  is  a  precious  thing  to  give  thanks  unto  the  LORD, 
And  to  sing  praises  unto  thy  name,  0  Most  High: 

3  To  show  forth  thy  lovingkindness  in  the  morning, 
And  thy  faithfulness  every  night, 

4  Upon  an  instrument  of  ten  strings,  and  upon  the  psaltery ; 
Upon  the  harp  with  a  solemn  sound. 

5  For  thou,  LORD,  hast  made  me  glad  through  thy  work; 
I  will  triumph  in  the  works  of  thy  hands. 

6  0  LORD,  how  great  are  thy  works ! 
And  thy  thoughts  are  very  deep. 

7  And  brutish  man  knoweth  not; 
Neither  doth  a  fool  understand  this. 

8  When  the  wicked  spring  as  the  grass, 

And  when  all  the  workers  of  iniquity  do  flourish ; 
It  is  that  they  shall  be  destroyed  for  ever. 

9  But  thou,  LORD,  art  Most  High  for  evermore. 

10  For,  lo,  thine  enemies,  0  LORD, 
For,  lo,  thine  enemies  shall  perish; 

All  the  workers  of  iniquity  shall  be  scattered. 

11  But  my  horn  shall  thou  exalt  like  the  horn  o/an  unicorn 

(or,  "buffalo";) 
I  shall  be  anointed  with  fresh  oil. 

12  Mine  eye  also  shall  see  my  desire  on  mine  enemies, 
And  mine  ears  shall  hear  my  desire  of  the  wicked  that 

rise  up  against  me. 

13  The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm-tree: 
He  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon. 

*  Psalms  xcv.  xcvi.  xcvii.  xcviii.  xcix.  c.  These  songs  have  a  certain 
affinity  of  language,  e.  g.  the  anadiplosis  xcii.  10;  xciv.  3;  xcvi.  13;  the 
repetition  of  the  phrase  xciii.  1,  in  xcvi.  10,  the  t^ttbfcrt^b?  Psalms 

•        VJ  T 

xcv.  3;  xcvi.  4;  xcvii.  9. 

32*  . 


878  COMMENTAEY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

14  Those  that  be  planted  in  the  house  of  the  LORD 
Shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God. 

15  They  shall  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age ; 
They  shall  be  fat  and  flourishing; 

16  To  show  that  the  LORD  is  upright : 

He  is  my  rock,  and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  him. 

V.  2 — 5.  Here  is  the  expression  of  a  mind  which  regards  the 
service  of  God,  and  song  in  particular,  not  only  as  a  duty,  but  as 
a  real  delight.  The  works  and  doings  of  the  Lord  incite  such 
songs.  The  Psalmist's  theme  at  first  embraces  all  the  works  and 
doings  of  God  in  nature  and  in  the  history  of  man,  but  he  soon 
confines  himself  to  the  latter. 

7.  6 — 9.  His  faith  assures  him  that  it  is  a  holy  God  who  rules 
the  world;  on  that  account  he  admires  and  adores,  when  he  can- 
not thoroughly  understand.  Proud  sages,  whom  he,  however,  calls 
fools,  begin  to  doubt  the  depth  of  the  thoughts  of  God,  when  they 
are  unable  to  understand  them.  Humble  faith,  however,  com- 
plains of  the  weakness  of  human  knowledge,  and  sees  itself  called 
upon  to  admire  the  more.  Our  admiration  of  the  Divine  govern- 
ment of  the  world  is  more  matter  of  faith  than  of  experience;  so 
the  Psalmist  points  to  what  is  concealed  behind  appearances. 
"  The  workers  of  iniquity  do  flourish,  but  it  is  that  they  shall  be 
destroyed  for  ever,  and  that  thou,  Lord,  art  Most  High  for  ever- 
more/' 

F.  10 — 12.  Assured  of  the  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
over  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  in  the  aggregate,  and  his  enemies 
being  those  of  the  Lord,  he  gives  expression  to  the  hope  of 
triumph  with  regard  to  himself.  The  horn  is  a  symbol  of  strength, 
vide  Psalm  Ixxxix.  18. 

V.  13 — 16.  The  certainty  of  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  causes  his  mind  to  overflow  with  the  description  of  the 
eternal  youth  of  those  who  derive  their  strength  from  the  Lord. 
The  palm-tree  remains  green  all  the  year  round,  in-  the  cold  of 
winter  no  less  than  in  the  heat  of  summer:*  the  age  of  the  cedar 
is  counted  not  by  years  but  by  centuries.  This  is  a  figure  of  those 
who  are  planted  in  the  courts  of  the  Lord,  and  derive  the  sap  of 
their  life  from  the  house  of  God :  it  is  clear  that  the  house  of  God 
denotes  communion  with  God  in  general.  (  Vide  ad.  Psalm  xxiii.  6; 
Hi.  10.)  Even  in  old  age,  though  every  other  mental  power 
.  should  have  vanished,  they  shall  be  strong  and  fresh  while  pro- 
claiming that  the  Lord  is  upright.  Experience  instructs  us  that 

*  The  open  country  moreover  wears  a  sad  aspect  now:  the  soil  is  rent 
and  dissolves  into  dust  at  every  breath  of  wind ;  the  green-of  the  meadows 
is  almost  entirely  gone — the  palm-tree  alone  preserves  in  the  drought  and 
heat  its  verdant  roof  of  leaves.  "—Schubert's  Journey  to  the  East,  vol.  ii.p.  138. 


PSALM   XCIII.  379 

pious  old  men  are  the  most  powerful  and  efficient  witnesses  and 
preachers  to  younger  generations;  in  whom  piety  bears  the  sweetest 
fruit  the  nearer  they  are  to  their  grave — while  their  physical 
strength  and  their  knowledge  succumb  to  the  infirmity  attendant 
upon  old  age. 


PSALM  XCIII. 

A  SONG  of  praise,  celebrating  the  glory  of  the  Divine  government. 


LORD  reigneth,  he  is  clothed  with  majesty  ; 
JL  The  LORD  is  clothed  with  strength,  ^herewith  he  hath 

girded  himself: 
The  world  also  is  established,  that  it  cannot  be  moved.* 
2  Thy  throne  is  established  of  old  : 

Thou  art  from  everlasting.     • 
8  The  floods  have  lifted  up,  0  LORD, 
The  floods  liave  lifted  up  their  voice  : 
The  floods  raise  their  waves. 

4  Mightier  than  the  noise  of  many  waters 
Are  the  waves  of  the  sea  : 

But  mightier  still 
Is  the  Lord  on  high. 

5  Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure  : 

Holiness  becometh  thine  house,  0  LORD,  for  ever. 

V.  1  —  4.  Adornment  and  honour  grace  earthly  potentates  as 
the  expressions  of  the  majesty  of  their  vocation;  but  all  their 
adornment  and  glory  as  well  as  their  vocation  are  the  gifts  of 
Divine  grace;  therefore  not  one  of  them  can  be  compared  with 
God  for  adornment  and  glory.  He  has  established  the  world, 
the  separate  lands  of  which  are  ruled  by  the  kings  of  the  earth; 
behold  in  this  the  proof  of  his  might.  Giving  existence  to  all,  he 
himself  received  it  from  none.  Self-existence  is  his  eternal  pro- 
perty. Behold  in  this  the  proof  of  his  majesty.  The  billows  of 
the  tempests  rise  high  as  if  intent  upon  splashing  against  the 
clouds  :  their  howling  is  terrific.  But  greater  by  far  is  the  Lord 
on  high  :  none  of  the  waves  can  overthrow  his  throne,  which  from 
eternity  he  has  established  in  the  heavens.  (Ps.  xlvi.  4;  Ixv.  8.) 

*  One  feels  almost  tempted  to  translate  with  some  of  the  old  interpreters, 
"  The  world  also  shall  be  firmly  established;"  but  cf.  ad.  Psalm  xcvi.  10; 
civ.  5. 


380  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

V.  5.  If  reverence  be  due  to  the  words  of  a  transitory  king  of 
the  earth,  how  much  more  is  it  so  to  the  words  of  the  King  of 
kings !  The  Psalmist  prostrates  himself  reverentially  before  it  as 
before  the  words  of  the  Highest  Majesty,  and  regards  with  rever- 
ence the  earthly  place  where  that  majesty  is  revealed. 


PSALM  XCIV. 

A  PSALM  of  prayer,  sung  at  times  when  the  heathen  poured 
reproach  upon  the  people  of  God,  and  practised  injustice  in  the 
land. 

The  Psalmist  invokes  the  Judge  of  the  earth  not  to  defer  the 
punishment  of  the  proud,  (v.  1 — 3.)  He  describes  the  arrogant 
bearing  of  the  wicked  (v.  4 — 7,)  and  reproves  the  folly  of  idolatry, 
which  will  not  believe  in  an  omniscient  God,  (v.  8 — 11.)  The 
instruction  of  God  is  the  comfort  of  the  pious  in  the  day  of 
adversity,  (v.  12 — 15.)  The  Psalmist  confesses  that  without  the 
assistance  and  consolation  of  the  Lord  he  should  never  have  been 
able  to  stand,  (v.  16 — 19.)  Though  the  Lord  may  seem  to  have 
fellowship  with  wrong,  yet  shall  the  faith  of  the  pious  be  never 
put  to  shame,  (v.  20—23.) 

1  A  LORD  God,  to  whom  vengeance  belongeth; 

\J  0  God,  to  whom  vengeance  belongeth,  shine  forth. 

2  Lift  up  thyself,  thou  Judge  of  the  earth : 
Render  a  reward  to  the  proud. 

3  LORD,  how  long  shall  the  wicked, 
How  long  shall  the  wicked  triumph? 

4  How  long  shall  they  utter  and  speak  hard  things  ? 
And  all  the  workers  of  iniquity  boast  themselves  ? 

5  They  break  in  pieces  thy  people,  0  LORD, 
And  afflict  thine  heritage. 

6  They  slay  the  widow  and  the  stranger, 
And  murder  the  fatherless. 

7  Yet  they  say,  "  The  LORD  shall  not  see, 
Neither  shall  the  God  of  Jacob  regard  it." 

8  Understand,  ye  brutish  among  the  people : 
And  ye  fools,  when  will  ye  be  wise? 


PSALM  XCIV.  381 

9  He  that  planted  the  ear,  shall  he  not  hear  ? 
He  that  formed  the  eye,  shall  he  not  see?* 

10  He  that  chastiseth  the  heathen,  shall  not  he  correct? 
He  that  teacheth  man  what  he  knoweth. 

11  The  LORD  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  man, 
That  they  are  vanity. 

12  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  chastenest,  0  LORD, 
And  teachest  him  out  of  thy  law; 

13  To  give  him  rest  from  the  days  of  adversity, 
Until  the  pit  be  digged  for  the  wicked. 

14  For  the  LORD  will  not  cast  off  his  people, 
Neither  will  he  forsake  his  inheritance. 

15  BUT  JUDGMENT  SHALL  RETURN    UNTO    RIGHTEOUSNESS  :f 
AND   ALL   THE    UPRIGHT   IN   HEART    SHALL   FOLLOW   IT. 

16  Who  will  rise  up  for  me  against  the  evil  doers  ? 

Who  will  stand  up  for  me  against  the  workers  of  iniquity  ? 

17  Unless  the  LORD  had  been  my  help, 
My  soul  had  almost  dwelt  in  silence. 

18  When  I  say,  My  foot  slippeth ; 
Thy  mercy,  0  LORD,  upholdeth  me. 

19  In  the  multitude  of  my  troubles  within  me 
Thy  comforts  delight  my  soul. 

20  Shall  the  throne  of  iniquity  have  fellowship  with  thee, 
Which  frameth  mischief  against  the  law  ? 

21  They  gather  themselves  together  against  the  soul  of  the 

righteous, 
And  condemn  the  innocent  blood. 

22  But  the  LORD  is  my  defence; 

And  my  God  is  the  rock  of  my  refuge. 

23  And  he  shall  bring  upon  them  their  own  iniquity, 
And  shall  cut  them  off  by  their  own  wickedness ; 
Yea,  the  LORD  our  God  shall  cut  them  off. 

V.  15.  Theintrinsic  power  of  truth,  the  consciousness  of  which 
is  manifested  in  the  words  of  this  verse,  has  at  all  times  given  rise 
to  the  hope  of  an  ultimate  conversion  and  restoration  of  the  world. 
The  expression  of  the  Psalmist  seems  to  confirm  it,  though  he  con- 
fines himself  to  saying  that  "  all  the  upright  in  heart  shall  follow 
it."  It  seems  that  evil  is  accompanied  by  the  spell  of  delusion,  so 

*  Herder  says,  "Is  it  possible  to  address  more  pointedly  our  modern 
philosophers,  who  deny  design  in  nature  ?  The  heathen  predicated  of  their 
idols  what  they  attribute  to  their  dead,  abstract  nature:"  that  which  the 
prophets  say  against  the  former  applies  equally  to  the  latter. 

f  Luther  renders,  "Right  must  remain  right." 


382  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

that  the  eye,  though  created  for  the  perception  of  truth,  is  unable 
to  discern  the  intrinsic  power  of  the  truth. 

V.  20.  The  throne  of  iniquity  is  to  be  explained  of  the  throne 
of  a  hostile  pagan  power  uniting  enmity  against  the  law  of  Grod 
with  their  hostility  against  his  people.  So  Psalm  cxxv.  3,  speaks 
of  the  "rod  of  the  wicked/'  or  " of  wickedness. " 


PSALM  XCV. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  festive  psalm.  (Of.  Psalm  c.)  The  Koman  and 
Anglican  Churches  use  it,  especially  verse  6,  as  an  introduction  of 
their  services. 

Exhortation  to  the  joyous  praise  of  G-od,  (v.  1,  2.)  He  is  more 
worthy  of  praise  than  all  other  objects  of  adoration,  (>.  4,  5.) 
Israel  above  all  must  praise  him,  for  he  has  made  them  his  people, 
and  led  them  as  a  faithful  shepherd.  0  that  they  would  anew  give 
ear  to  his  voice  on  the  day  consecrated  to  his  service,  (v.  6,  7,)  and 
be  admonished  by  the  conduct  of  their  ancestors,  who  after  so 
many  benefits  yet  hardened  their  hearts,  and  were  on  that  account 
excluded  from  the  rest  of  God. 


First  Choir. 

LORD: 

our 


1  A  COME,  let  us  sing  unto  the  LORD  : 

\J  Let  us   make   a  joyful  noise  to   the   rock   of 
salvation. 

2  Let  us  come  before  his  presence  with  thanksgiving, 
And  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  him  with  psalms. 

3  For  the  LORD  is  a  great  God, 
And  a  great  King  above  all  gods. 

4  In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth:* 
The  height  of  the  hills  is  his  also. 

5  The  sea  is  his,  and  he  made  it. 
And  his  hands  formed  the  dry  land. 

6  0  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down : 
Let  us  kneel  before  the  LORD  our  maker. 

7  For  he  is  our  God; 

And  we  are  the  people  of  his  pasture,  and  the  sheep  of 

his  hand. 
0  that  ye  would  hear  his  voice  to-day ! 

*  Or,  "What  the  earth  conceals." 


PSALM    XCV.  383 

Second  Choir. 

8  Harden  not  your  heart,  as  in  the  contention 

And  as  in  the  day  of  temptation  in  the  wilderness : 

9  When  your  fathers  tempted  me, 
Proved  me,  though  they  saw  my  work. 

10  Forty  years  long  was  I  grieved  with  t his  generation, 
And  said,  "It  is  a  people  that  do  err  in  their  heart, 
And  they  would  not  know  my  ways." 

11  Unto  whom  I  sware  in  my  wrath 

That  they  should  not  enter  into  my  rest. 

V.  1 — 5.  Holy  joy  in  God,  not  discord  and  dejection,  appears 
here  in  the  old  covenant  as  the  fundamental  sentiment  of  adora- 
tion. God,  who  eifects  "  the  salvation"  of  his  people,  has  a  thousand 
claims  upon  "  their  gratitude."  There  is  no  need  of  eloquence  in 
man  to  exalt  him,  for  his  works  speak  aloud  and  furnish  infinite 
matter  for  songs  of  praise. 

V.  6,  7.  Every  emotion  of  the  heart  seeks  for  an  adequate 
expression.  Hence  the  Psalmist  is  not  satisfied  with  asking  for 
devotional  feelings,  but  prays  for  the  work  of  adoration  and  humilia- 
tion, by  bowing  down  and  kneeling.  He  praises  chiefly  that  work 
of  the  Lord  which  deserved  special  consideration  when  Israel 
assembled  for  purposes  of  worship.  He  is  "  the  Lord  our  maker/' 
or  as  Moses  has  it,  "  the  Rock  that  begat  thee,  the  God  that  formed 
thee."  (Deut.  xxxii.  18.)  He  found  Israel  as  a  troop  of  slaves, 
who  were  no  people.  He  gave  them  the  law,  guided  and  fed  them 
as  a  shepherd,  (vide  ad.  Ps.  xxxiii.  1,)  his  faithful  hand  holding 
the  staff.  They  had  often  been  faithless,  but  the  "To-day"  for 
ever  resounds  anew,  "  For  the  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  without 
repentance."  (Rom.  xi.  29.) 

V.  8 — 11.  Lest  the  people  should  regard  the  admonition  need- 
less, God  himself  appears,  reminding  them  of  the  faithlessness  of 
their  ancestors,  (Exod.  xvii.)  and  its  serious  consequences.  As  it  is 
no  easy  thing  firmly  to  believe  in  the  love  of  our  invisible  Father 
high  above  the  clouds,  so  will  this  Father  assuredly  be  lenient 
towards  the  weakness  of  men.  As  regards  his  people  he  had  showed 
himself  to  them,  become  visible,  and  appeared,  as  it  were,  before 
them  in  his  miracles;  but  in  spite  of  all  this  they  provoked  him 
anew  in  the  wilderness,  by  asking,  "  Is  the  Lord  among  us  or  not?" 
(Exod.  xvii.  7.)  Their  unbelief  was  by  no  means  a  transient  weak- 
ness. The  Lord  had  to  bear  its  effusions  for  forty  years.  It  then 
became  manifest  that  they  were  not  worthy  to  enter  into  the  rest 
which  he  had  prepared  for  them  in  Canaan;  besides  Caleb  and 
Joshua,  not  one  of  their  six  hundred  thousand  men  entered  there. 
This  passage  is  beautifully  explained  Hebrews  iv.  7,  etc.  Since 


384  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

God  addressed  the  same  admonition  to  later  generations,  the  apos- 
tle concludes  that  the  rest  which  God  had  prepared  for  the  people 
in  the  earthly  Canaan  was  not  the  right  one ;  that  there  was 
another  rest,  from  which  men  might  exclude  themselves  through 
unbelief. 


PSALM  XCVI. 

ALTHOUGH  Psalms  xcvi. — c.  make  no  specific  mention  of  the 
Messiah,  they  are  nevertheless  (Psalm  xcix.  excepted)  Messianic, 
because  they  set  forth  his  work  and  repeat  the  frequent  declara- 
tions of  the  prophets.  They  show  how  the  messages  of  the  pro- 
phets entered  into  the  hearts  of  pious  Israelites,  inspired  them,  and 
how  the  lyric  poets  familiarized  the  people  more  with  their  con- 
tents, from  the  fact  of  their  forming  part  of  the  temple  service. 
The  theme  of  these  psalms  is  the  Messiah's  advent  on  earth,  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  a  kingdom  of  righteousness,  of  holding 
a  judgment  in  which  idols  shall  be  demolished,  the  only  true  God 
receive  universal  homage,  (Ps.  xcvii.  7,)  and  the  God  of  Israel  be 
preached  over  the  whole  earth.  With  this  accord  the  predictions 
of  the  prophets,  and  Isaiah  attunes  a  song  similar  to  this,  "  Sing 
unto  the  Lord  a  new  song,"  etc.  (Isa.  xlii.  10.)  According  to 
1  Chronicles  xvi.  this  psalm  in  conjunction  with  some  verses  of 
Psalms  cv.  and  cvi.  was  sung  at  the  removal  of  the  ark  into  the 
sanctuary.  Kindred  in  contents  are  especially  Psalms  xlvii.  and 
Ixvii. 

The  Lord  shallbe  praised  in  all  the  earth  and  at  all  times, 
(v.  1 — 3.)  He  is  worthy:  all  other  gods  are  nothing,  (v.  4 — 6.) 
All  the  heathen  must  worship  him  in  holy  reverence,  (v.  7 — 9.) 
The  proclamation  of  the  Lord's  monarchy  is  an  object  of  joy  so 
great  that  even  inanimate  nature  is  forced  to  utter  her  voice  and  to 
praise  the  Lord,  (v.  10 — 13.) 

1  C\  SING  unto  the  LORD  a  new  song : 
\J  Sing  unto  the  LORD,  all  the  earth. 

2  Sing  unto  the  LORD,  bless  his  name; 
Preach  his  salvation  from  day  to  day. 

3  Declare  his  glory  among  the  heathen, 
His  wonders  among  all  people. 

4  For  the  LORD  is  great,  and  greatly  to  be  praised : 
He  is  to  be  feared  above  all  gods. 


PSALM   XCVI.  385 

5  For  all  the  gods  of  the  nations  are  idols:* 
But  the  LORD  made  the  heavens. 

6  Honour  and  majesty  are  before  him : 
Strength  and  beauty  are  in  his  sanctuary. 

7  Give  unto  the  LORD,  0  ye  kindreds  of  the  people, 
Give  unto  the  LORD  glory  and  strength. 

8  Give  unto  the  LORD  the  glory  due  unto  his  name ; 
Bring  an  offering,  and  come  into  his  courts. 

9  0  worship  the  LORD  in  the  beauty  of  holiness : 
Fear  before  him,  all  the  earth. 

10  Say  among  the  heathen  that  the  LORD  reigneth: 

The  world  also  shall  be  established  that  it  shall  not  be 

moved : 
He  shall  judge  the  people  righteously. 

11  Let  the  heavens  rejoice,  and  let  the  earth  be  glad; 

Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  fulness  thereof  (or,  "all  that  is 
therein/') 

12  Let  the  field  be  joyful  and  all  that  is  therein: 
And  let  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  rejoice 

13  Before  the  LORD  :  for  he  cometh, 
For  he  cometh  to  judge  the  ea^th: 

He  shall  judgef  the  world  with  righteousness, 
And  the  people  with  his  truth. 

V.  1 — 6.  Songs  of  praise  shall  be  addressed  unto  the  Lord 
with  renewed  faith  and  renewed  love,  not  only  by  his  people  but 
by  the  whole  earth,  not  only  now  and  then,  but  from  day  to  day. 
The  knowledge  of  this  God  is  to  reach  all  the  nations  from  the 
narrow  borders  of  a  country  the  greatest  extension  of  which,  from 
Sidon  to  Sodom,  comprised  not  more  than  about  130  miles:  the 
words  of  the  prophet  shall  be  fulfilled,  "Then  will  I  turn  to  the 
people  a  pure  language,  that  they  may  call  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  to  serve  him  with  one  consent/'  (Zeph.  iii.  9.)  It  was 
incredible  to  men,  but  the  Lord  had  imparted  that  assurance  to 
the  hearts  of  his  elect.  "All  the  gods  of  the  nations  are  idols." 
The  proper  meaning  of  idol  is  "a  vanity" — "a  nothing/'  (1  Cor. 
viii.  4;)  they  demand  adoration  without  having  done  any  works. 
"But  the  Lord  made  the  heavens/'  Though  glorious  on  earth, 
the  fulness  of  his  glory  is  in  his  heavenly  sanctuary. 

V.  1 — 9.  It  is  proper  that  the  nations  should  approach  such  a 
God  with  praises  and  offerings  in  the  festal  adornment  of  priests. 
(Cf.  Psalm  xxix.  2.) 

*  Literally,  "are  nothings,'*  ?'.  e.  fancies  of  the  inincl. 
f  Or,  "rule." 
33 


386  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

F.  10 — 13.  He  who  is  the  sole  king  of  creation  made  and 
established  the  world  in  so  solid  a  manner  that  it  cannot  be  moved, 
though  generations  of  rebels  seek  to  scatter  into  it  universal  con- 
fusion. He  judges  the  nations  in  righteousness:  believers  are 
sure  of  this,  and  shall  see  it  when  he  shall  establish  his  visible 
kingdom.  It  will  not  be  a  reign  of  terror,  but  to  all  who  obey  his 
laws  a  reign  of  joy,  and  of  joy  so  great,  that  inanimate  nature  her- 
gelf  shall  participate  in  "the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God/'  (Rom.  viii  21,)  and  give  loud  utterance  to  her  rejoicing. 


PSALM  XCVII. 

THIS  description  of  ttfe  advent  of  the  Lord  as  the  Judge  of  the 
earth  is  similar  to  Psalm  xviii.  The  Psalmist  confines  himself, 
however,  not  to  judgment  in  its  literal  sense,  but  comprises  in  that 
term  every  divine  energy  which  brings  about  the  cessation  of  evil. 
In  the  same  way  our  Lord  says,  "The  prince  of  this  world  is 
judged."  (John  xvi.  11.)  This  is  evident,  for  the  conversion  of 
idolaters  to  the  living  God  is  stated  as  a  result  of  that  judgment, 

Sr.  7.)  So  Malachi  (Mai.  iii.  2,  3,)  names  as  one  result  of  the 
ivine  judgment  the  purifying  and  sanctifying  of  the  priesthood  of 
Israel.  We  who  behold  in  history  the  partial  manifestation  at 
least  of  the  Psalmist's  vision,  are  entitled  to  the  assertion  that 
"the  theme  of  this  Psalm  is  the  triumph  of  Christ  over  an  unbe- 
lieving world  in  its  present  partial  fulfilment  and  ultimate  com- 
pletion." 


LORD  reigneth;  let  the  earth  rejoice; 
JL  Let  the  multitude  of  isles  be  glad  thereof. 

2  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him  : 
Righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  foundation  of  his 

throne. 

3  A  fire  goeth  before  him, 

And  burneth  up  his  enemies  round  about. 

4  His  lightnings  enlightened  the  world  : 
The  earth  saw  and  trembled. 

5  The  hills  melted  like  wax  at  the  presence  of  the  LORD, 
At  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth. 

6  The  heavens  declare  his  righteousness, 
And  all  the  people  see  his  glory. 


PSALM  XCVII.  387 

7  Confounded  be  all  they  that  serve  graven  images, 
That  boast  themselves  of  idols : 

Worship  him,  all  ye  gods ! 

8  Zion  heard,  and  was  glad ; 

And  the  daughters  of  Judah  rejoiced 
Because  of  thy  judgments,  0  LORD. 

9  For  thou  LORD,  art  Most  High  in  all  the  earth ; 
Thou  art  greatly  exalted  above  all  gods. 

10  Ye  that  love  the  LORD,  hate  evil : 
He  preserveth  the  souls  of  his  saints ; 

He  delivereth  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  wicked. 

11  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,* 
And  gladness  for  the  upright  in  heart. 

12  Rejoice  in  the  LORD,  ye  righteous; 

And  give  thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  his  holiness. 

V.  1 — 6.  "The  Lord  reigneth."  He  reigns  now,  though  his 
longsuffering  bears  with  his  adversaries.  This  is  not  a  fearful  but 
a  comforting  truth:  the  source  of  rejoicing  to  all  who  love  the 
good,  even  to  remote  isles  that  shall  hereafter  gratefully  acknow- 
ledge it.  (Isa.  xlii.  4.  10.)  Dark  clouds  enwrap  his  throne. 
This  is  meant  to  symbolize  the  severity  of  the  judge;  but  there  is 
every  reason  for  courage,  since  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the 
foundations  of  the  throne.  The  fire  of  his  anger  consumes  his 
adversaries.  Though  now  it  often  seems  as  if  he  had  laid  his 
sceptre  for  a  while  aside,  it  shall  then  become  manifest  that  he  is 
"the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth/'  As  far  as  the  heavens  extend,  so 
far  shall  his  righteousness  be  made  known.  The  term  righteous- 
ness must  not  be  confined  to  retributive  justice,  but  extended  to 
all  the  attributes  which  come  into  play  in  the  revelation  of  his 
Being ,  among  which  is  included  that  of  "goodness/'  (See  ad. 
Ps.  v.  9.)  This  is  the  reason  why  the  latter  half  of  the  verse 
speaks  of  his  "glory." 

V.  1 — 9.  Yain  pretenders  to  divine  dignity  shall  then  come  to 
nought,  and  great  exulting  shall  be  in  the  city  of  God,  when  the 
Lord  shall  be  revealed,  such  as  he  is  now,  though  unacknow- 
ledged, "Exalted  far  above  all  gods." 

V.  10 — 12.  They  only  who  hate  evil,  as  does  the  king,  are 
owned  as  citizens  in  the  city  of  God.  "The  foundation  of  God 
standeth  sure,  having  this  seal :  let  every  one  that  nameth  the 
name  of  Christ  depart  from  iniquity/'  (2  Tim.  ii.  19.)  They  may 
safely  trust  in  the  immutability  of  the  divine  law,  according  to 
which  joy  and  gladness  shall  ultimately  arise  to  the  pious,  and  on 
that  account  cannot  but  praise  hini  for  evermore. 

*  Or,  "Light  shall  arise  to  the  righteous." 


388  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XCVIII. 

THIS  psalm  is  the  echo  of  Psalm  xcvi.  Its  contents  are,  the  final 
great  revelation,  the  ultimate  triumph  of  G-od,  when  his  salvation 
and  his  righteousness,  the  revelation  of  which  is  promised  to  Israel, 
shall  be  revealed  to  his  own  people  and  to  the  whole  world. 

A   PSALM. 
li 

1  0  sing  unto  the  LORD  a  new  song; 
For  he  hath  done  marvellous  things: 
His  right  hand,  and  his  holy  arm, 
Hath  gotten  him  the  victory. 

2  The  LORD  hath  caused  his  salvation  to  be  made  known, 
His  righteousness  hath  he  revealed  before  the  heathen. 

3  He  hath  remembered  his  mercy  and  his  truth 
Toward  the  house  of  Israel : 

All  the  ends  of  the  earth  have  seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

4  Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  LORD,  all  the  earth: 
Make  a  loud  noise,  and  rejoice,  and  sing  praise. 

5  Sing  unto  the  LORD  with  the  harp ; 
With  the  harp,  and  the  voice  of  a  psalm. 

6  With  trumpets  and  sound  of  cornet 

Make  a  joyful  noise  before  the  LORD,  the  King. 

7  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  fulness  thereof; 
The  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein. 

8  Let  the  floods  clap  their  hands : 
Let  the  hills  be  joyful  together 

9  Before  the  LORD  ;  for  he  cometh  to  judge  the  earth : 
With  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  world, 

And  the  people  with  equity. 


PSALM  XCIX. 

A  HORTATORY  psalm,  which  calls  upon  Israel  to  worship  their 
God  and  King,  who  reigns  in  righteousness,  and  has  shown  much 
favour  to  his  people. 

First  Choir. 
1  rPHE  LORD  reigneth — let  the  people  tremble : 

JL  He  that  sitteth  between  the  cherubim — let  the  earth 
be  moved. 


PSALM   XCIX. 

2  The  LORD  is  great  in  Zion ; 

And  he  is  high  above  all  the  people. 

3  Let  them  praise  thy  great  and  terrible  name ; 
For  it  is  holy. 

4  And  the  strength  of  the  king  who  loveth  judgment ! 
Thou  dost  establish  equity. 

Thou  executest  judgment  and  righteousness  in  Jacob. 

Second  Choir. 

5  Exalt  ye  the  LORD  our  God, 
And  worship  at  his  footstool ; 
For  he  is  holy. 

First  Choir. 

6  Moses  and  Aaron  among  his  priests, 

And  Samuel  among  them  that  call  upon  his  name ; 
They  called  upon  the  LORD,  and  he  answered  them. 

7  He  spake  unto  them  in  the  cloudy  pillar : 
They  kept  his  testimonies, 

And  the  ordinance  that  he  gave  them. 

8  Thou  answerest  them,  0  LORD,  our  God ! 

Thou  wast  a  God  that  forgavest  them  (the  people,) 
Though  thou  tookest  vengeance  of  their  inventions. 

Second  Choir. 

9  Exalt  the  LORD  our  God, 
And  worship  at  his  holy  hill ; 
For  the  LORD  our  God  is  holy. 

V.  1 — 5.  The  Lord  is  a  mighty  King:  at  the  revelation  of  his 
power  everything  must  tremble.  For  centuries  he  has  exercised 
judgment  in  Israel,  therefore  Israel  above  all  nations  shall  worship 
him.  They  shall  worship  at  his  footstool,  i.  e.  near  the  ark  and  in 
the  temple.  (1  Chron.  xxviii.  2;  Psalm  cxxxii.  7;  Isaiah  Ix.  13; 
Lam.  ii.  1;  Ezek.  xliii.  7.)  This  expression  is  to  indicate,  that 
however  marvellous  the  revelation  of  (rod  in  his  visble  sanctuary 
may  appear,  its  glory  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  sanctuary  of 
heaven,  in  which  all  his  fulness  is  expanded. 

V.  6 — 9.  God  had  in  his  mercy  favoured  his  people  with 
mighty  intercessors,  such  as  Moses,  Aaron,  and  Samuel,  the  two 
former  of  whom  are  here  as  the  celebrated  representatives  and 
intercessors  of  their  nation  called  'priests,  though  Moses  was  not  a 
priest.  (Exod.  xxxii.  31,  32;  Psalm  cvi.  23;  1  Sam.  xii.  19; 
Jer.  xv.  1.)  He  had  revealed  his  mercy  in  drawing  nigh  unto 
his  people.  He  had  punished  their  transgressions;  but  his  method 
33* 


390  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

was  lenient,  (2  Sam.  vii.  14  :)  he  had  not  removed  his  favour  from 
them,  but  forgave  them  for  their  intercessors'  sake.  Shall  Israel 
forget  this  ? 


PSALM  C. 

A  TEMPLE  song,  as  Psalm  xcv.,  which  was  probably  sung  during 
the  march  of  a  procession.  (Of.  v.  4;  Ps.  cxviii.  19.)  The  refresh- 
ing words  of  verse  5  seem  to  have  been  frequently  repeated  in 
these  songs:  this  seems  to  be  the  legitimate  inference  from 
Ezra  iii.  II j  1  Mace.  iv.  24;  1  Chron.  xvi.  34.  They  occur 
also  in  Psalms  cvi.  cvii.  cxviii.  cxxxvi.  and  in  psalms  whose  date 
falls  after  the  captivity. 

1  A    PSALM  of  Praise. 

A 

Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  LORD,  all  the  earth. 

2  Serve  the  LORD  with  gladness: 

Come  before  his  presence  with  singing ! 
8  Know  ye  that  the  LORD  he  is  God : 
It  is  he  that  hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves, 
To  be  his  people,  and  the  sheep  of  his  pasture. 

4  Enter  into  his  gates  with  thanksgiving, 
And  into  his  courts  with  praise : 

Be  thankful  unto  him,  and  bless  his  name, 

5  For  the  LORD  is  good;  his  mercy  is  everlasting; 
And  his  truth  enduretk  to  all  generations. 


PSALM   01. 

THIS  psalm  contains  the  principles  of  David's  government.*  Many 
commentators  think  that  this  psalm  was  composed  during  the  period 
of  his  persecution;  but  from  his  calling  Jerusalem  the  city  of  God, 
the  ark  seems  already  to  have  been  on  Mount  Zion.  If  the  words 
in  v.  2 — "When  thou  wilt  come  to  me/'  should  refer  to  the  ark, 
the  date  of  the  psalm  falls  into  the  period  when  David,  afraid  to 
receive  the  ark,  but  hearing  of"  the  blessing  it  brought  upon  the 

*  "It  may  easily  be  seen  that  the  poet  is  a  mighty  potentate,  and  David, 
for  the  nobility  of  David's  mind  is  throughout  discernible."— JEwald. 


PSALM  01.  891 

house  of  Obed-edom,  intended  to  remove  it  from  there  to  the  capital, 
and  offered  new  vows  to  his  God  on  that  occasion. 

He  will  sing  of  the  chief  virtues  of  royal  government,  which  he 
intends  to  cultivate.  He  begins  with  his  private  life,  (v.  1,  2.) 
Slanderous  and  proud  servants  shall  be  kept  from  his  court,  (v.  3 — 5,) 
but  he  will  attract  faithful  servants,  and  purify  the  city  of  God 
from  transgressors,  (v.  6 — 8.)  This  psalm  is  one  of  the  few  (viz. 
cxxvii.  cxxviii.)  which  refer  to  the  administration  of  a  secular 
calling.  Luther  observes,  "This  psalm  is  written  against  factious 
men,  who  pretend  to  much  holiness  in  condemning  domesticity, 
matrimony,  and  anything  that  is  high  and  low  on  earth/' 

1  A    PSALM  of  David. 

I  will  sing  of  mercy  and  judgment : 

Unto  thee,  0  LORD,  will  I  sing  (or  "play.") 

2  I  will  behave  myself  wisely  in  a  perfect  way. 
When  thou  wilt  come  unto  me. 

I  will  walk  within  my  house  with  a  perfect  heart. 

3  I  will  set  no  wicked  thing  before  mine  eyes : 
I  hate  the  work  of  them  that  turn  aside ; 

It  shall  not  cleave  to  me. 

4  A  froward  heart  shall  depart  from  me : 
I  will  not  know  a  wicked  person. 

5  Whoso  privily  slandereth  his  neighbour,  him  will  I  cut  off: 
Him  that  hath  an  high  look  and  a  proud  heart  will  not 

I  suffer. 

6  Mine  eyes  look  upon  the  faithful  of  the  land,  that  they 

may  dwell  with  me : 
He  that  walketh  in  a  perfect  way,  he  shall  serve  me. 

7  He  that  worketh  deceit  shall  not  dwell  within  my  house : 
He  that  telleth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in  my  sight. 

8  I  will  early  destroy  all  the  wicked  of  the  land : 

That  I  may  cut  off  all  wicked  doers  from  the  city  of  the 
LORD. 

F.  1,  2.  Mercy  and  judgment,  the  chief  qualities  of  a  king's 
government,  form  the  theme  of  his  song.  He  calls  it  a  song  of 
praise,  because  holiness  prompts  him  to  such  resolutions.  We 
refer  the  words,  "When  thou  wilt  come  unto  me,"*  to  the  ark, 

*  Interpreters  are  greatly  at  variance  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  passage. 
Luther  renders,  "Before  them  that  belong  unto  me:"  adding,  Some  Rabbis 
will  no  doubt  find  fault  with  my  free  rendering,  but  I  prefer  plain  sense  to 
their  ambiguous  words."  David's  meaning  is,  "Those  who  _  enter  my 
house,  i.  e.  belong  to  me."  Aben  Ezra,  Kimchi,  refer  to  a  coming  of  the 


392  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  object  of  his  longing,  which  he  brought  up  with  rejoicing,  and 
before  which  he  danced  in  the  gladness  of  his  heart.  (2  Sam.  vi.) 
Its  arrival  on  Zion  made  that  day  a  day  of  new  and  holy  resolves, 
as  we  are  wont  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf  on  experiencing  unexpectedly 
the  goodness  of  the  Lord.  Everything  should  be  holy  in  the  city 
which  was  henceforth  to  contain  the  visible  sanctuary  ci  his  God. 
He  would  especially  be  holy  within  his  house,  i.  e.  hi?  family,  since 
the  public  and  private  life  of  kings  often  presents  a  strange  contrast. 

Y.  3 — 7.  It  is  his  intention  to  strive  as  a  ruler  after  righteous- 
ness, to  get  faithful  and  godly  courtiers  around  him.  He  had 
during  his  residence  at  the  court  of  Saul  learnt  how  greatly  kings 
are  plagued  with  sycophants,  slanderers,  and  proud  men,  like  Doeg 
and  Gush,  who  driving  the  faithful  away,  seek  only  their  own  gain, 
and  to  become  the  lords  of  their  lords.  A  prince  once  observed  that 
he  was  not  afraid  of  those  that  are  far  away,  but  of  those  who  were 
following  his  steps,  because  these  were  far  more  inclined  to  injure 
him.  David  vows  in  general  terms  that  he  will  not  bear  with  the 
wicked;  he  then  expresses  his  hatred  against  calumniators  and  the 
proud,  who  had  never  an  eye  to  the  king's,  though  always  to  their 
own  interest.  He  will  be  on  the  look  out  for  the  faithful  of  the 
land,  whereby  he  intimates  that,  they  are  by  no  means  numerous. 
Duke  Frederic  once  said,  "The  older  I  get  the  less  I  know  whom 
to  trust."  A  prince  should  not  get  weary  of  seeking,  for  it  is  worth 
the  trouble.  Even  in  regarding  a  country  which  is  governed  by  a 
Nero  or  a  Caracalla,  it  may  still  be  said  that  their  righteous  servants 
prevented  more  evil  than  they  themselves  did.  David  detests 
lying  as  much  as  slander,  for  he  himself  is  honest  and  loves  the 
truth.  The  temptation  to  untruth  and  flattery  in  the  case  of  ser- 
vants and  confidential  attendants  of  great  lords  is  confessedly  most 
common.  It  must  be  very  common,  since  there  are  but  few  princes 
who  so  thoroughly  loathe  it  as  David  did,  and  since  many  are  not 
even  as  wise  as  that  abbot  who  said  of  the  brethren  who  made  the 
most  reverential  bow,  "I  know  that  they  do  not  look  at  me,  but  at 
the  key  which  is  fastened  to  my  girdle/' 

V.  8.     The  purifying  of  his  immediate  circle  of  attendants  is 

spirit  of  prophecy;  and  the  majority  of  modern  translators  regard  the  words 
as  a  longing  sigh  for  Divine  assistance,  "When  wilt  thou  come  unto  me 
with  thine  aid?"  But  how  can  the  simple  "come  unto  me"  mean  the  assist- 
ance of  God?  How  strange  such  a  sigh?  Theodoret  regards  the  passage 
as  a  question,  but  as  a  question  of  surprise  why  God  did  not  enter  into  a 
heart  which  was  already  entirely  devoted  to  him  ?  Munster,  Bucer,  Calvin, 
Grotius,  who  refer  the  date  of  the  psalm  to  before  the  ascension  of  David, 
render,  "When  wilt  thou  raise  me  to  the  throne?"  or,  "When  thou  shalt 
raise  me  to  the  throne."  Still  different  from  the  rest  is  Rudinger,  "When- 
ever thou  wilt  come  to  me,"  t.  e.  "When  I  am  with  mine;"  and  Tremellius, 
"When  thou  shalt  come  to  call  me  to  account."  Maurer,  "When  shall  I 
be  prosperous?"  Jarchi,  "Until  the  right  way  shall  come  unto  me."  Our 
explanation  may  be  seen  in  Calmet  and  Venema. 


PSALM  on.  893 

only  the  beginning  for  the  purifying  of  the  whole  land.  The  unholy 
city,  which  now  contains  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  holy 
to  the  Lord.  David  purposes  to  attack  sin  of  any  kind  wherever 
it  might  appear.  Sensible  that  such  a  work  cannot  be  done  at 
once,  he  vows  to  renew  his  resolve  from  day  to  day;  and  with  new 
strength  to  enter  upon  the  work. 


PSALM  OIL 

THE  inscription  denotes  the  object  of  the  psalm.  It  is  a  psalm  for 
the  afflicted.  It  was  written,  as  appears  from  verses  14 — 18,  dur- 
ing the  exile,  after  it  had  lasted  for  some  considerable  time,  and 
the  seventy  years  which  the  prophets  had  stated  as  its  duration 
had  almost  expired,  (v.  14.) 

Remote  from  his  native  country,  exposed  to  the  reproach  of  ene- 
mies— the  Psalmist's  life  is  slowly  advancing,  (v.  1 — 12.)  But 
the  time  of  deliverance  is  at  hand.  The  Spirit  assures  him  that 
the  Lord  will  soon  rebuild  Zion,  and  that  the  kings  of  the  heathen 
shall  hereafter  be  converted  to  the  Lord,  who  does  such  mighty 
works,  (v.  13 — 23.)  This  elevation  of  mind  is  succeeded  by  gloom 
— the  voice  of  complaint  is  heard  once  more — but  only  for  a 
moment,  for  he  is  raised  again  by  looking  to  the  Eternal,  whose 
omnipotence  is  unchangeable,  and  who  will  show  his  salvation  to 
his  posterity  at  least,  if  not  to  himself. 

1  A    PRAYER  of  the  afflicted,  when  he  is  overwhelmed, 
JL\.        and  poureth  out  his  complaint  before  the  LORD. 

2  Hear  my  prayer,  0  LORD, 
And  let  my  cry  come  unto  thee. 

3  Hide  not  thy  face  from  me  in  the  day  when  I  am  in  trouble ; 
Incline  thine  ear  unto  me :  in  the  day  when  I  call 
Answer  me  speedily. 

4  For  my  days  are  consumed  like  smoke, 

And  my  bones  are  burned  as  an  hearth  (or,  "faggots.") 

5  My  heart  is  smitten,  and  withered  like  grass ; 
So  that  I  forget  to  eat  my  bread. 

6  By  reason  of  the  voice  of  my  groaning 
My  bones  cleave  to  my  flesh. 

7  I  am  like  a  pelican  of  the  wilderness : 
I  am  like  an  owl  in  ruins. 

8  I  watch,  and  am  as  a  sparrow  alone  upon  the  house  top. 


394  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

9  Mine  enemies  reproach  me  all  the  day ; 

And  they  that  are  mad  against  me  are  sworn  against  me. 

10  For  I  have  eaten  ashes  like  bread. 
And  mingled  my  drink  with  weeping, 

11  Because  of  thine  indignation  and  thy  wrath: 
For  thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and  cast  me  down. 

12  My  days  are  like  a  shadow  that  declineth;* 
And  I  am  withered  like  grass. 

13  But  thou,  0  LORD,  shalt  endure  for  ever; 
And  thy  remembrance  unto  all  generations. 

14  Thou  shalt  arise,  and  have  mercy  upon  Zion : 

For  the  time  to  favour  her,  yea,  the  set  time,  is  come. 

15  For  thy  servants  take  pleasure  in  her  stones, 
And  have  mercy  uponf  the  dust  thereof. 

16  So  the  heathen  shall  fear  the  name  of  the  LORD, 
And  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  thy  glory. 

17  When  the  LORD  shall  build  up  Zion, 
He  shall  appear  in  his  glory. 

18  He  will  regard  the  prayer  of  the  destitute, 
And  not  despise  their  prayer. 

19  This  shall  be  written  for  the  generation  to  come : 

And  the  people  which  shall  be  created  shall  praise  the  LORD. 

20  For  he  hath  looked  down  from  the  height  of  his  sanctuary ; 
From  heaven  did  the  LORD  behold  the  earth ; 

21  To  hear  the  groaning  of  the  prisoner ; 

To  loose  those  that  are  appointed  to  death ; 

22  To  declare  the  name  of  the  LORD  in  Zion, 
And  his  praise  in  Jerusalem; 

23  When  the  people  are  gathered  together, 
And  the  kingdoms,  to  serve  the  LORD, 

24  He  weakened  my  strength  in  the  way, 
He  shortened  my  days. 

25  I  said,  0  my  God,  take  me  not  away  in  the  midst  of  my  days : 
Thy  years  are  throughout  all  generations. 

26  Of  old  hast  thou  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth : 
And  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands. 

27  They  shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  endure : 
Yea,  all  of  them  shall  wax  old  like  a  garment ; 

As  a  vesture  shalt  thou  change  them,  and  they  shall  be 
changed : 

*  Or,  "Like  an  extended  (i.  e.  stretched  out)  shadow." 
f  /.  e.  "are  grieved  at." 


PSALM  Oil.  395 

28  But  thou  art  the  same, 

And  thy  years  shall  have  no  end. 

29  The  children  of  thy  servants  shall  continue, 
And  their  seed  shall  be  established  before  thee. 

V.  2 — 5.  He  begins  to  call  upon  God  with  the  fervour  of  one 
who  is  sure  that  his  prayer  reaches  to  heaven.  The  glow  of  these 
complaints  shows  that  the  wailing  is  not  only  personal,  but  refers, 
like  the  lamentations  of  Jeremiah,  to  the  humiliation  of  a  people 
which  was  formerly  highly  honoured  before  God  and  men  and  to 
whom  the  Psalmist  belongs.  The  debasement  of  his  nation  has 
struck  the  deepest  wounds  into  the  heart  of  this  Psalmist  as  it  did 
to  Jeremiah — though  both  solely  grieve  on  account  of  the  sin 
which  had  occasioned  such  chastisements.  (Lam.  i.  8.  18;  ii.  14, 
etc.)  His  days  pass  on  like  the  extended  evening  shadow;  flames 
rage  within,  his  heart  is  withered,  he  loathes  to  eat,  and  his  flesh 
is  faint;  like  a  bird  of  the  desert,  like  a  lone  sparrow  deprived  of 
his  consort,  he  seeks  in  his  pain  for  solitude. 

V.  13 — 18.  The  Lord  may  have  changed  his  dealings  with 
Israel — but  his  Being  remains  eternally  the  same.  He  had  caused 
it  to  be  proclaimed  that  the  captivity  should  come  to  an  end  after  a 
certain  term.  "I  will  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee;  but  I  will  cor- 
rect thee  in  measure,  and  will  not  leave  thee  altogether  unpun- 
ished." (Jer.  xxx.  11.)  "As  yet  they  shall  use  this  speech  in  the 
land  of  Judah  and  in  the  cities  thereof,  when  I  shall  bring  again 
their  captivity:  The  Lord  bless  thee,  0  habitation  of  justice,  and 
mountain  of  holiness.  And  there  shall  dwell  in  Judah  itself,  and 
in  all  the  cities  thereof  together,  husbandmen,  and  they  that  go 
forth  with  flocks."  (Jer.  xxxi.  23,  24.)  The  term  of  the  chastise- 
ment had  even  been  revealed,  "These  nations  shall  serve  the  king 
of  Babylon  seventy  years."  (Jer.  xxv.  11;  cf.  Zech.  i.  12;  Dan. 
ix.  2.)  The  complainant's  hope  has  in  these  declarations  some- 
thing to  seize,  by  means  of  which  he  mounts  to  so  joyous  an  assu- 
rance, that  he  proclaims  the  building  of  Jerusalem,  and  looks  for- 
ward to  a  time  when  the  kings  of  the  heathen  shall  fear  the  God 
of  Israel. 

F.  19 — 23.  As  the  history  of  the  Lord's  people  is  a  sermon — 
so  is  especially  the  history  of  this  deliverance.  For  mercy  rebuilds 
Zion — the  praise  of  the  Lord  shall  be  on  the  lips  of  its  new  inha- 
bitants, so  that  they  shall  be  the  evangelists  of  the  true  God,  at 
the  time  when  the  Lord  shall  add  the  heathen  nations  to  the  people 
of  God.  (Psalm  xlvii.  10.) 

V.  24 — 29.  The  prospects  of  the  future  are  thus  glorious  and 
bright;  but  shall  the  Psalmist  be  spared  to  see  it?  He  feels  that 
his  strength  is  gone.  Yet  however  much  things  in  heaven  and  on 
earth  may  change,  the  Being  of  the  Lord  remains  unchanged. 


396  COMMENTARY' ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Heaven  and  earth  are  his  handiwork,  with  which  he  as  it  were  sur- 
rounds himself  as  with  a  vesture.  The  vesture  may  change,  but 
he,  whom  it  surrounds,  endureth  for  ever.  He  may  linger  with 
revealing  himself  in  the  present,  but  the  children  of  his  servants 
shall  experience  his  blessings. 


PSALM  GUI. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  no  .less  expressive  of  the  peace  of  a  soul  recon- 
ciled to  God  than  Psalm  xxiii.  Psalms  like  the  present  show  that 
the  evangelical  spirit  of  the  New  Testament  came  occasionally  upon 
the  servants  of  God,  who  lived  under  the  Old  Covenant. 

It  is  the  Psalmist's  intention  to  praise  the  Lord  for  the  benefits 
which  he  had  himself  experienced,  among  which  he  regards  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  as  the  greatest,  (v.  1 — 5.)  He  then  praises  the 
benefits  which  Israel  had  experienced  in  conjunction  with  the  for- 
giving mercy  of  the  Lord,  (V.  7 — 19.)  The  soul  of  the  Psalmist 
is  so  filled  with  the  necessity  to  praise  the  Lord — a  want  than 
which  none  more  noble  can  be  conceived — that  he  calls  upon  all  the 
creatures  of  God  to  praise  him,  (v.  20 — 22.) 


A 


PSALM  of  David. 


Bless  the  LORD,  0  my  soul : 

And  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name. 

2  Bless  the  LORD,  0  my  soul, 
And  forget  not  all  his  benefits. 

3  Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities ; 
Who  healeth  all  thy  diseases ; 

4  Who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction ; 

Who   crowneth  thee   with    lovingkindness   and   tender 
mercies ; 

5  Who  satisfieth  thy  mouth*  with  good  things; 
So  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's. 

6  The  LORD  executeth  righteousness  and  judgment 
For  all  that  are  oppressed. 

7  He  made  known  his  ways  unto  Moses, 
His  acts  unto  the  children  of  Israel. 

*  "Thine  age?"  Thol.  do  Wette.     "Thy  desire."  Lxx.  Vulg. 

§ 


PSALM  cm.  397 

8  The  LORD  is  merciful  and  gracious, 
Slow  to  anger,  and  plenteous  in  mercy. 

9  He  will  not  always  chide: 

Neither  will  he  keep  his  anger  for  ever. 

10  He  hath  not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins ; 
Nor  rewarded  us  according  to  our  iniquities. 

11  For  as  the  heaven  is  high  above  the  earth, 

So  great  is  his  mercy  toward  them  that  fear  him. 

12  As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west, 

So  far  hath  he  removed  our  transgressions  from  us. 

13  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children, 

So  the  LORD  pitieth  them  that  fear  him. 

14  For  he  knoweth  our  frame ; 

He  remembereth  that  we  are  dust. 

15  As  for  man,  his  days  are  as  grass  : 

As  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth. 

16  For  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone ; 
And  it  shall  know  no  more  the  place  thereof. 

17  But  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to  ever- 

lasting upon  them  that  fear  him, 
And  his  righteousness  unto  children's  children; 

18  To  such  as  keep  his  covenant, 

And  to  those  that  remember  his  commandments  to  do  them. 

19  The  LORD  hath  prepared  his  throne  in  the  heavens ; 
And  his  kingdom  ruleth  over  all. 

20  Bless  the  LORD,  ye  his  angels, 

That  excel  in  strength,  that  do  his  commandments, 
Hearkening  unto  the  voice  of  his  word. 

21  Bless  ye  the  LORD,  all  ye  his  hosts ; 

Ye  ministers  of  his  that  do  his  pleasure. 

22  Bless  the  LORD,  all  his  works, 
In  all  places  of  his  dominion : 
Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul. 

V.  1 — 5.  The  Psalmist  reproves  as  it  were  the  remissness  and 
indolence  of  the  human  heart  to  praise  the  Lord,  and  repeatedly 
calls  upon  his  soul  to  engage  in  that  occupation.  He  confesses 
that  enough  of  goodness  has  been  shown  to  him,  and  that  man 
chiefly  requires  a  good  memory  for  the  benefits  of  Grod.  He  begins 
not  like  others  with  the  enumeration  of  temporal  benefits,  such  as 
health,  wife,  offspring,  and  the  like,  however  much  they  ought  to 
be  gratefully  acknowledged;  but  above  all  he  thanks  the  Lord  for 
the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  In  mentioning  diseases  he  alludes  to 
34 


398  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

the  noxiousness  of  sin,  and  in  naming  destruction  his  reference 
is  to  the  punishment  due  to  sin,  which  the  grace  and  mercy  of  God 
averts.  The  fountain  of  Divine  mercy  for  his  people  is  so  copious, 
that  they  shall  remain  ever  young,  and  that  their  leaves  shall  not 
wither,  (Psalm  i.)  Similar  in  import  is  the  figure  of  the  eagle, 
who  attains  to  the  highest  age  among  birds,  and  as  they  moult 
annually,  may  be  said  to  renew  themselves  and  to  get  young  again. 
.  (Isaiah  xl.  31;  Ixv.  20.)  The  glory  of  the  old  age  of  the  godly 
consists  in  this,  that  while  the  faculties  for  sensuous  no  less  than 
mental  enjoyment  gradually  decline,  and  the  hearth  of  life  gets 
thus  deprived  of  its  fuel,  the  blessings  of  godliness  not  only  con- 
tinue to  refresh  the  soul  in  old  age,  but  are  not  until  then  most 
thoroughly  enjoyed.  The  sun  of  piety  rises  the  warmer  in  propor- 
tion as  the  sun  of  life  declines. 

F.  6 — 18.  The  Psalmist  looks  now  from  himself  to  his  nation 
and  her  experience  of  Divine  deliverance,  especially  in  the  days  of 
her  youth  at  the  time  of  the  great  deliverance  by  Moses.  No  merit 
gave  them  a  title,  but  the  mercy  and  grace  of  God  were  the  only 
sources  of  that  blessing.  He  punished  them  in  his  anger  but  "in 
measure."  (Jer.  xxx.  11;  Isaiah  liv.  8.)  However  much  »he  pun- 
ishes, his  punishment  does  not  come  up  to  our  iniquities;  the 
psalmist  here  alludes  to  the  beautifully  evangelical  name  of  God. 
(Exod.  xxxiv.  6.)  High  as  the  heaven  is  above  the  earth,  is  his 
mercy  over  his  servants,  and  he  removes  the  recollection  of  their 
transgressions  as  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west.  The  Psalmist 
twice  adds  "those  that  fear  him,"  and  then,  "to  such  as  keep  his 
covenant."  In  doing  so,  he  repels  that  carnal  view  of  Divine  love, 
which  forgets  that  faith  and  repentance  are  the  conditions  on  which 
the  Lord  promises  to  become  our  father.'  David  often  felt  this 
filial  relation  to  God.  (Psalms  xvi.  xxiii.  xxxii.)  He  confesses 
that  the  mercy  of  God  is  a  pure  act  of  grace :  he  is  merciful  because 
we  are  nothing  and  are  only  strong  in  him.  Man  is  as  frail  as  the 
flower  of  the  field,  which  after  the  scorching  east  wind  has  passed 
over  it  for  a  day  or  two,  dies  and  others  grow  up  in  its  stead. 
What  can  man  do  without  God  ?  Just  those  who  know  these  things 
and  make  him  their  refuge,  experience  his  mercy  and  overflowing 
goodness,  which  are  extended  to  their  posterity,  provided  they  do 
not  render  themselves  unworthy  of  them.  The  added  condition  of 
verse  18  shows  the  misapprehension  of  those  who  think  that  the 
promise  of  the  blessings  on  godly  parents  unto  the  thousandth  gener- 
ation, (Exod.  xx.  5,  6.)  might  be  so  interpreted  that  hardened  off- 
spring could  enjoy  the  favour  of  God  for  their  father's  sake,  while 
pious  offspring  could  for  their  father's  sake  be  rejected.  It  is  clear 
that  this  was  not  the  meaning  of  Moses,  for  it  is  said  of  the  wicked 
J'unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  tliat  hate  me,"  while 
it  is  said  of  the  godly,  "  showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of  them 


PSALM   CIV. 

that  love  me  and  keep  my  commandments.*  After  this  represen- 
tation of  the  adorable  attributes  of  the  Lord,  he  concludes  the  des- 
cription with  the  truth  that  his  throne  is  established  in  the  heavens, 
hio-h  above  the  fluctuations  of  earthly  life,  and  that  all,  willingly  or 
unwillingly,  must  serve  him. 

V.  20 — 22.  These  thoughts  have  so  edified  the  pious  Psalmist 
that  his  own  praise  and  that  of  men  seems  insufficient  to  him ;  he 
calls  therefore  heavenly  spirits  to  his  aid,  the  servants  of  might, 
forming  as  it  were  the  Lord's  army,  as  well  as  all  creatures  that 
form  part  of  his  infinite  dominion.  But  he  finally  reverts  to  his 
own  soul,  lest  engaged  with  calling  upon  others  he  should  neglect 
his  own  duty. 


PSALM  CIV. 

A  GLORIOUS  psalm  of  nature.  It  begins  with  a  description  of  the 
habitation  of  God  and  of  his  ministering  powers,  (v.  2 — 4.) 
Adverting  to  the  beginning  of  creation  there  follows  a  description 
of  the  origin  of  the  habitable  globe,  (v.  5 — 9,)  of  God's  care  for 
the  wild  beasts  in  the  loneliness  of  the  forest,  for  cattle,  for  man 
who  had  received  more  than  he  needed,  for  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
the  birds  in  the  top  of  the  trees,  and  for  the  occupants  of  the 
loftiest  mountainous  regions,  (v.  10 — 18.)  He  turns  to  the  stars 
of  heaven,  the  wonderful  alternations  of  day  and  night  and  attend- 
ant spectacles,  (v.  19 — 23,)  and  proceeds  to  the  miracles  of  the 
deep,  (v.  24 — 26;)  though  the  creatures  of  God  are  innumerable 
yet  not  one  of  them  is  uncared  for :  shall  he  not  provide  food,  who 
gives  life?  (v.  27 — 30.)  His  glory  is  not  transient,  (v.  31,  32.) 
Who  can  regard  such  a  God  without  praising  him  and  desiring  the 
return  of  all  those  who  have  forsaken  him?  (v.  33 — 35.) 

1  "DLESS  the  LORD,  0  my  soul. 

JD  0  LORD  my  God,  thou  art  very  great : 
Thou  art  clothed  with  honour  and  majesty. 

2  Who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a  garment : 
Who  stretehest  out  the  heavens  like  a  tent : 

3  Who  layeth  his  upper  chambers  above  the  waters  :f 
Who  maketh  the  clouds  his  chariot: 

Who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind : 

*  Cf.  Deut.  xxiv.  16;  Lev.  xxvi.  39;  Jer.  xxxi.  29,  30;  Ezek.  xviii.— 
Hengstenberg' s  Authenticity  of  the  Pentateuch,  ii.  544. 

f  This  is  a  better  rendering  than  " of  waters,"  for  the  sensuous  idea  of 
man  conceives  of  God  as  enthroned  above  the  clouds,  in  the  luminous  heights 
which  spread  away  into  infinity.  Cf.  Psalm  cxlviii.  4,  where  the  clouds 
are  the  waters  above  the  skies,  beyond  which  the  Lord  sits  enthroned. 


400  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

4  Who  maketh  the  winds  his  angels  (messengers,) 
A  flaming  fire  his  ministers. 

5  Who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 
That  it  should  not  be  removed  for  ever. 

6  Thou  coveredst  it  with  the  deep  as  with  a  garment 
The  waters  stood  above  the  mountains. 

7  At  thy  rebuke  they  fled ; 

At  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  they  hasted  away — 

8  The  mountains  rose,  the  valleys  sank  down — 
Unto  the  place  which  thou  hast  founded  for  them. 

9  Thou  hast  set  a  bound  that  they  may  not  pass  over; 
That  they  turn  not  again  to  cover  the  earth. 

10  He  sendeth  the  springs  into  the  valleys, 
Which  flow  among  the  hills. 

11  They  give  drink  to  every  beast  of  the  field : 
The  wild  asses  quench  their  thirst. 

12  By  them  the  fowls  of  the  heaven  have  their  habitation, 
And  sing  among  the  branches. 

13  He  watereth  the  hills  from  his  chambers: 

The  earth  is  satisfied  with  the  fruit  of  thy  works. 

14  He  causeth  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle, 
And  herb  for  the  service  of  man : 

That  he  may  bring  forth  food  out  of  the  earth; 

15  And  wine  that  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man, 
To  make  his  face  to  shine  more  than  oil : 
And  bread  which  strengtheneth  man's  heart. 

16  The  trees  of  the  LORD  are  full  of  sap : 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon,  which  he  hath  planted ; 

17  Where  the  birds  make  their  nests : 

As  for  the  stork,  the  fir  trees  are  her  house. 

18  The  high  hills  are  a  refuge  for  the  wild  goats ; 
And  the  rocks  for  the  conies. 

19  He  appointed  the  moon  for  seasons : 
The  sun  knoweth  his  going  down. 

20  Thou  makest  darkness,  and  it  is  night : 
Wherein  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  do  weef*  forth. 

21  The  young  lions  roar  after  their  prey, 
And  seek  their  meat  from  God. 

22  The  sun  ariseth,  they  gather  themselves  together, 
And  lay  them  down  in  their  dens. 

23  Man  goeth  forth  unto  his  work 
And  to  his  labour  until  the  evening. 


PSALM  CIV.  401 

24  0  LORD,  how  manifold  are  thy  works ! 
In  wisdom  hast  than  made  them  all : 
The  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches. 

25  So  is  this  great  and  wide  sea. 

Wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable, 
Both  small  and  great  beasts. 

26  There  go  the  ships : 

There  is  that  leviathan,  whom  thou  hast  made  to  play 
therein. 

27  These  wait  all  upon  thee ; 

That  thou  mayest  give  them  their  meat  in  due  season. 

28  That  thou  givest  them  they  gather: 

Thou  openest  thine  hand,  they  are  filled  with  good. 

29  Thou  hidest  thy  face,  they  are  troubled  : 

Thou  takest  away  their  breath,  they  die,  and  return  to 
their  dust. 

30  Thou  sendest  forth  thy  spirit,  they  are  created ; 
And  thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  earth. 

31  The  glory  of  the  LORD  shall  endure  for  ever : 
The  LORD  shall  rejoice  in  his  works. 

32  He  looketh  on  the  earth,  and  it  trembleth : 
He  toucheth  the  hills,  and  they  smoke. 

33  I  will  sing  unto  the  LORD  as  long  as  I  live : 

I  will  sing  praise  to  my  God  while  I  have  my  being. 

34  My  speech  shall  be  sweet  to  him: 
I  will  be  glad  in  the  LORD. 

35  Let  the  sintfers  be  consumed  out  of  the  earth, 
And  let  the  wicked  be  no  more. 

Bless  thou  the  LORD,  0  my  soul.     Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

F.  1.  This  call  upon  his  soul  to  praise  the  Lord  is  impressively 
repeated  at  the  close  of  the  psalm.  The  works  of  God  give  a 
mirror-like  reflection  of  his  being.  (Rom.  i.  20.)  The  diversity 
and  extension  of  creation  testify  of  his  glory  and  majesty. 

V.  2 — 4.  The  description  beginning  with  the  highest  heaven 
gradually  descends  to  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants.  The  vaulted 
sky  is  the  tent,  the  light  of  heaven  the  garment  of  God,  which 
conceals  him,  the  invisible  one.  His  upper  chamber  (people  in 
the  East  used  to  retire  to  the  upper  chamber  when  they  wished  for 
solitude)  is  reared  up  in  bright  aether  on  the  slender  foundation  of 
rainy  clouds.  (Ps.  cxlviii.  4.)  Undulating  clouds  and  the  wings 
of  the  tempest  are  his  royal  chariot.  The  winds  and  flames  of  fire, 

34* 


402  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

hastening  from  those  heights  to  this  lower  world,  are  his  minister- 
ing spirits.* 

Y.  5 9.  With  reference  to  the  history  of  creation,  the  Psalmist 

now  turns  to  the  lower  regions  of  earth.  The  habitation  of  God  in 
the  heavens  is  firmly  established,  though  the  waters  be  its  rafters : 
nor  does  the  earth  sink,  though  her  weight  seem  to  draw  her  into 
the  deep.  The  waters  covered  her  in  the  beginning  like  a  gar- 
ment to  the  highest  summits  of  her  mountains;  the  Lord  spoke, 
the  waters  were  gathered  into  the  ocean,  and  mountains  and  val- 
leys stood  forth.  Omnipotence  has  set  a  bound  to  the  waters, 
though  they  are  above  and  lighter  than  the  earth  and  seem  to  over- 
flow it.  (See  ad.  Ps.  xxiv.  2.) 

F.  10 — 12.  There  are  streams  in  the  lone  desert,  invisible  to 
man,  giving  drink  to  the  beast  of  the  field.  The  wild  ass  is  very 
shy  and  dwells  in  the  desert.  By  their  lone  banks  the  birds  war- 
ble their  notes,  if  not  to  human  ears,  to  the  Creator  who  made 
them. 

F.  13 — 15.  The  waters  distil  from  the  mountains  for  the  benefit 
of  man  and  beast.  The  cattle,  more  dependent  on  water  and 
grass  than  men,  for  whom  the  vine  grows  to  gladden  their  hearts, 
so  that  their  faces  get  radiant  with  joy,  and  shine  as  with  ointment. 
(Sir.  xxxi.  84;  xl.  20.)  This  passage  may  be  explained  as  show- 
ing that  the  truly  pious  need  not  restrict  themselves  to  the  barest 
necessities  of  life,  but  that  they  who  have  the  means  may  enjoy 
the  gifts  of  God.  But  the  words  of  Sirach  are  first  in  considera- 
tion, <(  Wine  and  music  rejoice  the  heart ,  but  the  love  of  wisdom  is 
above  them  both."  Moreover,  that  which  is  lawful  is  not  always 
expedient,  and  love  prompts  sometimes  to  the  denial  of  what  is 
lawful.  (1  Cor.  vi.  12.) 

F.  16 — 18.  Irrigated  from  above,  the  vegetable  kingdom  blos- 
soms and  flourishes.  The  Psalmist  confines  himself  to  the  cedar 
as  the  queen  thereof.  Life  is  diffused  up  to  the  top  of  the  loftiest 
trees  and  the  summit  of  the  highest  mountains.  A  lone  butterfly 
may  be  seen  on  the  heights  of  Chimborazo. 

F.  19 — 23.  The  sun  and  the  moon  are,  as  it  were,  for  the  ser- 
vice of  our  globe :  they  divide  the  year  into  day  and  night.  The 
night  hides  life  in  her  lap,  and  the  day  brings  it  forth.  The  lion 
roars  in  the  stillness  of  night,  and  cries  to  God  for  food.  When 

i 

*The  most  natural  construction  recommends  the  translation,  "He 
maketh  his  angels  winds,"  (cf.  Roster;)  it  has  been  remarked  (ad.  Psalm 
xxxiv.  8)  that  the  term  "angel,"  literally  message,  or  emanation  from  God, 
does  not  always  denote  personal  beings,  but  also  the  ministering  powers  of 
God  in  nature.  This  would  justify  that  translation,  and  Psalm  cxlvii.  15 
may  be  compared,  where  it  is  said,  that  the  word  of  God,  being  sent  out, 
runneth  swiftly.  But  when  light  is  called  the  garment,  rather  the  chamber, 
and  clouds  the  chariot,  one  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  elements  of 
nature,  e.  g.  the  winds,  should  be  called  messengers. 


PSALM   CIV.  403 


the  beasts  of  the  forest  retire  to  their  dens,  man  goes  forth  to  his 
work. 

V.  24 — 26.  Having  enumerated  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
works  of  God,  the  Psalmist  feels  his  inability  to  comprehend  them 
all.  His  astonishment  is  his  adoration.  From  the  few  particulars 
he  had  named,  he  makes  the  universal  conclusion,  "In  wisdom 
hast  thou  made  them  all;  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches/'  He 
recollects  having  passed  by  the  life  in  the  deep.  The  vastness  and 
greatness  of  the  sea  alone  would  suffice  to  strike  us  with  astonish- 
ment, even  if  it  were  an  uninhabited  infinity.  But  its  infinite 
vastness  hides  an  infinite  world :  an  innumerable  diversity  of 
beasts,  small  and  great.  Its  surface  is  alive,  and  there  is  busy 
life  down  to  the  lowest  coral  boughs.  Its  surface  carries  man,  who 
transplants  his  arts  and  his  passions  from  the  land  to  the  ocean,  and 
trading  and  warring,  inventing  and  discovering,  animates  the  waste 
face  of  the  deep  with  the  spectacles  of  earth.  A  race  of  creatures 
merrily  move  in  it  as  their  home,  and  play  in  its  billows. 

V.  27 — 30.  According  to  the  judgment  of  merely  sensuous 
observation,  the  food  which  millions  of  creatures  are  consuming 
every  moment  flows  from  other  sources  than  the  hand  of  God,  and 
secondary  causes  too  easily  conceal  the  final  cause.  But  the  truly 
God-fearing  man  looks  through  every  concealment  and  veiling,  and 
adores  the  ever-rich  God,  who  has  for  many  thousand  years  pro- 
vided the  meat  "in  due  season/'  (i.  e.  when  they  require  it,)  for 
the  millions  of  guests  and  children  on  earth,  on  mountain  height, 
in  the  air  and  the  ocean,  that  look  to  his  hand,  without  his  treas- 
ury having  grown  any  the  poorer  during  these  many  thousand  years. 
(Psalm  cxlv.  15.)  Their  food  cannot  come  from  any  other  hand 
than  that  from  which  their  life  proceeds.  But  their  life  is  God's, 
for  by  him  breathe  and  live  all  that  are  alive;  their  breath  is  his, 
and  if  he  takes  it  away  they  die ;  so  the  whole  creation  would  per- 
ish if  God  were  to  take  away  from  it  what  is  his. 

V.  31,  32.  The  glory  and  majesty  of  God  are  subject  to  no 
change.  When  he  had  created  the  world  he  said,  "Behold,  it  is 
very  good."  Though  man  did  not  continue  in  that  goodness,  and 
brought  confusion  into  the  world,  yet  does  the  Lord  rejoice  in  his 
works,  and  will  preserve  them  until  they  shall  have  accomplished 
their  ends.  He  gives  the  signal  and  the  universe  obeys,  and  at  his 
approach  trembles  like  Sinai  in  reverential  submission.  (Exod. 
xix.  18.) 

Y.  33 — 35.  It  is  indeed  the  most  worthy  employment  of  an 
entire  existence  to  sing  the  praises  of  such  a  God.  While  the 
Psalmist  says  this,  and  with  a  sense  of  joy  concludes  his  prayer, 
his  mind  contemplates  to  how  small  an  extent  the  Lord  is  acknow- 
ledged. This  gives  rise  to  the  prayer  that  the  wicked  should  cease 
to  be  in  this  beautiful  earth.  (Psalm  vii.  10;  xxxvii.  38;  cxlv.  20.) 


404  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM   CV. 

A  PSALM  of  praise.  Its  design  is  to  recommend  the  faithful  pre- 
servation of  the  Divine  law  by  a  recital  of  the  Divine  leadings  of 
the  nation,  from  the  days  of  Abraham  to  their  entrance  into  Canaan. 
The  proclamation  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  among  the  heathen  is 
called  for  in  the  beginning  of  the  psalm,  as  in  Psalms  xcvi.  3 ; 
xcviii.  4;  c.  1.  The  first  fifteen  verses  occur  in  conjunction  with 
Psalm  xcvi.,  in  the  psalm  which  was  sung  at  the  setting  up  of  the 
ark,  which  is  mentioned  in  1  Chron.  xvi.  The  historical  facts  of 
this  and  the  succeeding  psalm  have  partly  been  explained,  ad. 
Psalm  Ixxviii. 

1  A  GIVE  thanks  unto  the  LORD  ; 
\J  Call  upon  his  name : 

Make  known  his  deeds  among  the  people. 

2  Sing  unto  him,  sing  psalms  unto  him : 
Talk  ye  of  all  his  wondrous  works. 

3  Glory  ye  in  his  holy  name : 

Let  the  heart  of  them  rejoice  that  seek  the  LORD. 

4  Seek* the  LORD  and  his  strength : 
Seek  his  face  evermore. 

5  Remember  his  marvellous  works  that  he  hath  done; 
His  wonders,  and  the  judgments  of  his  mouth ; 

6  0  ye  seed  of  Abraham  his  servant, 
Ye  children  of  Jacob  his  chosen. 

7  He,  the  LORD,  is  our  God: 

His  judgments  are  in  all  the  earth. 

8  He  hath  remembered  his  covenant  for  ever, 

The  word  which  he  commanded  to.a  thousand  generations* 

9  Which  covenant  he  made  with  Abraham, 
And  his  oath  unto  Isaac ; 

10  And  confirmed  the  same  unto  Jacob  for  a  law, 
And  to  Israel  for  an  everlasting  covenant : 

11  Saying,  "  Unto  thee  will  I  give  the  land  of  Canaan, 
The  lot  of  your  inheritance." 

12  When  there  were  but  a  few  men  in  number: 
Yea,  very  few,  and  strangers  in  it. 

13  When  they  went  from  one  nation  to  another, 
From  one  kingdom  to  another  people ; 

14  He  suffered  no  man  to  do  them  wrong: 
Yea,  he  reproved  kings  for  their  sakes ; 


PSALM  CV.  405 

15  Scrying,  "  Touch  not  mine  anointed, 
And  do  my  prophets  no  harm." 

16  Moreover  he  called  for  a  famine  upon  the  land: 
He  brake  the  whole  staff  of  bread. 

17  He  sent  a  man  before  them,  even  Joseph, 
Who  was  sold  for  a  servant : 

18  Whose  feet  they  hurt  with  fetters : 
He  was  laid  in  iron : 

19  Until  the  time  that  his  word  came : 
The  word  of  the  LOKD  tried  him. 

20  The  king  sent  and  loosed  him; 

Even  the  ruler  of  the  people,  and  let  him  go  free. 

21  He  made  him  lord  of  his  house, 
And  ruler  of  all  his  possessions, 

22  To  bind  his  princes  at  his  pleasure ; 
And  teach  his  senators  wisdom. 

23  Israel  also  came  into  Egypt, 

And  Jacob  sojourned  in  the  land  of  Ham. 

24  And  he  increased  his  people  greatly ; 

And  made  them  stronger  than  their  enemies. 

25  He  turned  their  heart  to  hate  his  people, 
To  deal  subtilly  with  his  servants. 

26  He  sent  Moses  his  servant, 
And  Aaron  whom  he  had  chosen. 

27  They  showed  his  signs  among  them, 
And  wonders  in  the  land  of  Ham. 

28  He  sent  darkness,  and  made  it  dark ; 
And  they  rebelled  not  against  his  word. 

29  He  turned  their  waters  into  blood, 
And  slew  their  fish. 

30  Their  land  brought  forth  frogs  in  abundance, 
In  the  chambers  of  their  kings. 

31  He  spake,  and  there  came  divers  sorts  of  flies, 
And  lice  in  all  their  coasts. 

32  He  gave  them  hail  for  rain, 
And  flaming  fire  in  their  land. 

33  He  smote  their  vines  also  and  their  fig  trees ; 
And  brake  the  trees  of  their  coasts. 

34  He  spake,  and  the  locusts  came, 

And  caterpillars,  and  that  without  number, 

35  And  did  eat  up  all  the  herbs  in  their  land, 
And  devoured  the  fruit  of  their  ground. 


406  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

36  He  smote  also  all  the  firstborn  in  their  land, 
The  chief  of  all  their  strength. 

37  He  brought  them  forth  also  with  silver  and  gold : 

And  there  was  not  one  feeble  person  among  their  tribes. 

38  Egypt  was  glad  when  they  departed: 
For  the  fear  of  them  fell  upon  them. 

39  He  spread  a  cloud  for  a  covering; 
And  fire  to  give  light  in  the  night. 

40  The  people  asked,  and  he  brought  quails, 
And  satisfied  them  with  the  bread  of  heaven. 

41  He  opened  the  rock,  and  the  waters  gushed  out ; 
They  ran  in  the  dry  places  like  a  river. 

42  For  he  remembered  his  holy  promise, 
And  Abraham  his  servant. 

43  And  he  brought  forth  his  people  with  joy, 
And  his  chosen  with  gladness : 

44  And  gave  them  the  lands  of  the  heathen : 
And  they  inherited  the  labour  of  the  people ; 

45  That  they  might  observe  his  statutes, 
And  keep  his  laws. 

Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

V.  11.     Cf.  Gen.  xiii.  17. 

V.  15.  The  anointed  and  the  prophets  are  the  patriarchs  who 
experienced  the  protection  of  God  in  their  intercourse  with  Abime- 
lech  and  Pharaoh,  (Gen.  xii.  17;  xx.  3;)  they  are  called  prophets 
and  the  anointed,  (Gen,  xx.  7,)  on  account  of  their  near  relation 
to  God. 

V.  19.  The  word  of  the  Lord,  i.  e.  the  God-sent  dream  of 
Joseph. 

V.  22.     Chiefly  the  wisdom  for  the  government  of  the  country. 

V.  28.  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians  were  always  obedient  for  the 
moment. 


PSALM  OVL 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  composed  during  the  exile,  (v.  4,  5.  47,)  con- 
taining the  confession  of  guilt  which  the  nation  had  contracted  by 
their  unbelief  from  the  beginning,  with  the  added  prayer  that  the 


PSALM   CVI.  407 

Lord  Tould,  now  as  then,  be  merciful  to  the  chastened  people, 
(v.  47.) 

1  TTALLELUJAH! 

XI  0  give  thanks  unto  the  LORD  ;  for  Tie  is  good : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Who  can  utter  the  mighty  acts  of  the  LORD  ? 
Who  can  show  forth  all  his  praise  ? 

3  Blessed  are  they  that  keep  judgment, 

And  he  that  doeth  righteousness  at  all  times. 

4  Remember  me,  0  LORD,  with  the  favour  that  thou  hast 

promised  unto  thy  people : 
Oh,  visit  me  with  thy  salvation; 

5  That  I  may  see  the  good  of  thy  chosen, 

That  I  may  rejoice  in  the  gladness  of  thy  nation, 
That  I  may  glory  with  thine  inheritance. 

6  We  have  sinned  with  our  fathers, 

We  have  committed  iniquity,  we  have  done  wickedly. 

7  Our  fathers  understood  not  thy  wonders  in  Egypt ; 
They  remembered  not  the  multitude  of  thy  mercies ; 
But  provoked  him  at  the  sea,  even  at  the  Red  Sea. 

8  Nevertheless  he  saved  them  for  his  name's  sake, 
That  he  might  make  his  mighty  power  to  be  known. 

9  He  rebuked  the  Red  Sea  also,  and  it  was  dried  up : 

So  he  led  them  through  the  depths,  as  through  the 
wilderness. 

10  And  he  saved  them  from  the  hand  of  him  that  hated  them, 
And  redeemed  them  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy. 

11  And  the  waters  covered  their  enemies: 
There  was  not  one  of  them  left. 

12  Then  believed  they  his  words; 
They  sang  his  praise. 

13  They  soon  forgat  his  works; 
They  waited  not  for  his  counsel: 

14  But  lusted  exceedingly  in  the  wilderness, 
And  tempted  God  in  the  desert. 

15  And  he  gave  them  their  request ; 
But  sent  leanness  into  their  soul.* 

16  They  strove  against  Moses  also  in  the  camp, 
And  Aaron  the  saint  of  the  LORD. 

*  Or,  "A  disease  against  their  life." 


408  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

17  The  earth  opened  and  swallowed  up  Dathan, 
And  covered  the  company  of  Abiram. 

18  And  a  fire  was  kindled  in  their  company ; 
The  flame  burned  up  the  wicked. 

19  They  made  a  calf  in  Horeb, 

And  worshipped  the  molten  image. 

20  Thus  they  changed  their  glory 

Into  the  similitude  of  an  ox  that  eateth  grass. 

21  They  forgat  God  their  Saviour, 
Which  had  done  great  things  in  Egypt ; 

22  Wondrous  works  in  the  land  of  Ham, 
And  terrible  things  by  the  Red  Sea. 

23  Therefore  he  said  that  he  would  destroy  them, 

Had  not  Moses  his  chosen  stood  before  him  in  the  breach, 
To  turn  away  his  wrath,  lest  he  should  destroy  them. 

24  Yea,  they  despised  the  pleasant  land, 
They  believed  not  his  word: 

25  But  murmured  in  their  tents, 

And  hearkened  not  unto  the  voice  of  the  LORD. 

26  Therefore  he  lifted  up  his  hand  against  them, 
To  overthrow  them  in  the  wilderness : 

27  To  overthrow  their  seed  also  among  the  nations, 
And  to  scatter  them  in  the  lands. 

28  They  joined  themselves  also  unto  Baal-peor, 
And  ate  the  sacrifices  of  the  dead. 

29  Thus  they  provoked  him  to  anger  with  their  inventions: 
And  the  plague  brake  in  upon  them. 

30  Then  stood  up  Phinehas,  and  executed  judgment : 
And  so  the  plague  was  stayed. 

31  And  that  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness 
Unto  all  generations  for  evermore. 

32  They  angered  him  also  at  the  waters  of  strife, 
So  that  it  went  ill  with  Moses  for  their  sakes : 

33  For  they  provoked  his  spirit, 

So  that  he  spake  unadvisedly  with  his  lips. 

34  They  did  not  destroy  the  nations, 
Concerning  whom  the  LORD  commanded  them : 

35  But  were  mingled  among  the  heathen, 
And  learned  their  works. 

36  And  they  served  their  idols : 
Which  were  a  snare  unto  them. 

37  Yea,  they  sacrificed  their  sons 
And  their  daughters  unto  devils, 


PSALM   CVI.  409 

38  And  shed  innocent  blood, 

Even  the  blood  of  their  sons  and  of  their  daughters, 
Whom  they  sacrificed  unto  the  idols  of  Canaan : 
And  the  land  was  polluted  with  blood. 

39  Thus  were  they  defiled  with  their  own  works, 
And  went  a  whoring  with  their  own  inventions. 

40  Therefore  was  the  wrath  of  the  LORD  kindled  against 

his  people, 
Insomuch  that  he  abhorred  his  own  inheritance. 

41  And  he  gave  them  into  the  hand  of  the  heathen ; 
And  they  that  hated  them  ruled  over  them. 

42  Their  enemies  also  oppressed  them, 

And  they  were  brought  into  subjection  under  their  hand. 

43  Many  times  did  he  deliver  them; 

But  they  provoked  him  with  their  counsel, 
And  were  brought  low  for  their  iniquity.* 

44  Nevertheless  he  regarded  their  affliction, 
When  he  heard  their  cry: 

45  And  he  remembered  for  them  his  covenant, 

And  repented  according  to  the  multitude  of  his  mercies. 

46  He  made  them  also  to  be  pitied 

Of  all  those  that  carried  them  cap.tives. 

47  Save  us,  0  LOUD  our  God, 

And  gather  us  from  among  the  heathen, 
To  give  thanks  unto  thy  holy  name, 
And  to  triumph  in  thy  praise. 

48  Blessed  be  the  LORD  God  of  Israel 
From  everlasting  to  everlasting: 

And  let  all  the  people  say,  Amen.     Hallelujah. 

V.  1.  The  expression,  "Hallelujah,"  i.  e.  "Praise  ye  the 
Lord/'  is  prefixed  for  encouragement's  sake  to  other  Psalms. 
Cxi. — cxiii.  on  "0  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord/"  etc.,  see  ad. 
Psalm  c.  5. 

V.  4 — 5.  The  Psalmist  suffers  with  his  nation,  and  hopes  to  be 
exalted  with  his  people,  humiliation  and  repentance  being  the  con- 
ditions, though  he  confesses  in  the  name  of  his  people  that  their 
tribulation  is  a  just  punishment.  As  in  Psalm  Ixxvii.  so  here 
there  follows  a  recounting  of  alternate  faithlessness  on  the  part  of 
the  people  and  of  faithfulness  on  the  part  of  God,  who  punishes 
but  "  jn  measure,"  and  has  never  forgotten  his  covenant  of  grace, 

/.  e.  "decreased  in  numbers." 
35 


410  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

V.  12.     Cf.  Exod.  xiv.  31. 

V.  16.     Cf.  Numb.  xi.  xvi. 

V.  20.  The  honour  and  glory  of  the  people  is  their  glorious 
God.  Cf.  Rom.  i.  23. 

F.  24.     Cf.  Numb.  xiii.  33. 

F  30.     Cf.  Numb.  xxv.  7. 

F  31.     Cf.  Numb,  xxv.  12. 

F  32.     Cf.  Numb.  xx.  13. 

F  48.  This  Doxology  denotes  the  end  of  the  fourth  book  of 
the  Psalms. 


PSALM  CVIL 

A  PSALM  of  thanksgiving  and  of  praise.  It  invites  to  gratitude 
those  who  had  been  redeemed  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  as 
•well  as  all  who  are  delivered  from  any  kind  of  trouble,  and  praises 
in  particular  the  gracious  guidance  of  God  which  brought  Israel 
back  into  their  land. 

The  children  of  Israel,  brought  from  the  wilderness  to  their 
native  land,  shall  praise  him  who  heard  them  when  they  called 
upon  him,  (v.  1 — 9.)  All  who  were  imprisoned  because  of  diso- 
bedience, called  upon  him  and  were  delivered,  shall  praise  him, 
(v.  10 — 16.)  All  whose  sins  had  brought  them  to  the  gates  of 
death,  but  on  calling  upon  him  were  heard,  shall  praise  him, 
(v.  17 — 22.)  All  who  on  experiencing  the  vicissitudes  of  the  sea, 
called  upon  him,  and  were  brought  to  the  desired  haven,  shall 
praise  him,  (v.  23 — 32.)  Because  of  the  sins  of  the  people  he  had 
laid  waste  their  flourishing  country,  but  made  it  fruitful  again,  and 
blessed  the  people,  (v.  33 — 38.)  They  had  borne  misfortune  and 
trouble,  but  he  had  raised  them  from  the  dust.  The  pious  shall 
rejoice  over  it,  and  Israel  give  heed  that  they  may  learn  to  thank 
the  Lord,  (v.  39—43.) 

1  C\  GIVE  thanks  unto  the  LORD,  for  Tie  is  good: 
\J  For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Let  the  redeemed  of  the  LORD  say  s0, 

Whom  he  hath  redeemed  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy : 

3  And  gathered  them  out  of  the  lands: 
From  the  east,  and  from  the  west, 
From  the  north,  and  from  the  sea. 

4  They  wandered  in  the  wilderness  in  a  solitary  way; 
They  found  no  city  to  dwell  in. 


PSALM   CVII.  411 

5  Hungry  and  thirsty, 
Their  soul  fainted  in  them. 

6  Then  they  cried  unto  the  LORD  in  their  trouble, 
And  he  delivered  them  out  of  their  distresses. 

7  And  he  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way, 
That  they  might  go  to  a  city  of  habitation. 

8  Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the  LORD  for  his  goodness, 
And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men ! 

9  For  he  satisfieth  the  longing  soul, 

And  filleth  the  hungry  soul  with  goodness. 

10  Such  as  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death, 
Being  bound  in  affliction  and  iron; 

11  Because  they  rebelled  against  the  words  of  God, 
And  contemned  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High : 

12  Therefore  he  brought  down  their  heart  with  labour ; 
They  fell  down,  and  there  was  none  to  help. 

13  Then  they  cried  unto  the  LORD  in  their  trouble, 
And  he  saved  them  out  of  their  distresses. 

14  He  brought  them  out  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death. 
And  brake  their  bands  in  sunder. 

15  Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the  LORD  for  his  goodness, 
And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men ! 

16  For  he  hath  broken  the  gates  of  brass, 
And  cut  the  bars  of  iron  in  sunder. 

17  The  fools  because  of  their  transgression, 
And  because  of  their  iniquities,  were  afflicted, 

18  Their  soul  abhorred  all  manner  of  meat ; 
And  they  drew  near  unto  the  gates  of  death. 

19  Then  they  cried  unto  the  LORD  in  their  trouble, 
And  he  saved  them  out  of  their  distresses. 

20  He  sent  his  word,  and  healed  them, 

And  delivered  them  from  their  destructions. 

21  Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the  LORD  for  his  goodness, 
And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men ! 

22  And  let  them  sacrifice  the  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving, 
And  declare  his  works  with  rejoicing. 

23  They  that  went  down  to  the  sea  in  ships, 
That  did  business  in  great  waters ; 

24  These  saw  the  works  of  the  LORD, 
And  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

25  For  he  commanded  and  raised  the  stormy  wind, 
Which  lifted  up  the  waves  thereof. 


412  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

26  They  mounted  up  to  the  heaven, 
They  went  down  again  to  the  depths : 
Their  soul  was  melted  because  of  trouble. 

27  They  reeled  to  and  fro,  and  staggered  like  a  drunken  man, 
And  were  at  their  wit's  end. 

28  Then  they  cried  unto  the  LORD  in  their  trouble, 
And  he  brought  them  out  of  their  distresses. 

29  He  made  the  storm  a  calm, 

So  that  the  waves  thereof  were  still. 

30  Then  were  they  glad  because  they  were  quiet: 
So  he  brought  them  unto  their  desired  haven. 

31  Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the  LORD  for  his  goodness, 
And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men ! 

32  Let  them  exalt  him  also  in  the  congregation  of  the  people, 
And  praise  him  in  the  assembly  of  the  elders. 

33  He  turned  rivers  into  a  wilderness, 
And  the  watersprings  into  dry  ground ; 

34  A  fruitful  land  into  barrenness, 

For  the  wickedness  of  them  that  dwelt  therein. 

35  He  turned  the  wilderness  into  a  standing  water, 
And  dry  ground  into  watersprings. 

36  And  there  he  made  the  hungry  to  dwell, 
That  they  might  prepare  a  city  for  habitation.; 

37  And  sow  the  fields  and  plant  vineyards, 
Which  yielded  fruits  of  increase. 

38  He  blessed  them  also,  so  that  they  were  multiplied  greatly ; 
.    And  suffered  not  their  cattle  to  decrease. 

39  Again,  they  were  minished  and  brought  low 
Through  oppression,  affliction,  and  sorrow. 

40  He  poured  contempt  upon  princes, 

And  caused  them  to  wander  in  the  wilderness,  where  there 
is  no  way. 

41  Yet  did  he  set  the  poor  on  high  from  affliction. 
And  made  him  families  like  a  flock. 

42  The  righteous  shall  see  it  and  rejoice : 
And  all  iniquity  shall  stop  her  mouth. 

43  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  observe  these  things, 

Even  they  shall  understand  the  lovingkindness  of  the  LORD. 

V.  1.  This  invitation  to  praise  prefixed  to  Psalm  cvi.  recurs 
also  Psalm  cxviii.  1. 

V.  3.  The  enumeration  of  the  different  countries  is  either 
poetical  or  refers,  beside  the  captive  Israelites  at  Babylon,  to  the 


PSALMS   CVIII.  CIX.  413 

dispersed  of  the  nation  who  had  fled  to  surrounding  countries,  e.  g. 
Egypt,  Moab,  etc.  Cf.  ad.  Psalm  Ixxiv.  9. 

V.  10 — 22.  Commentators  are  divided  in  their  opinion  whether 
the  reference  is  to  Israel  in  the  Babylonish  captivity,  or  to  prison 
and  disease  in  general.  But  why  should  this  passage  not  have  a 
more  general  application  besides  its  primary  reference  to  Israel  ? 
The  praise  in  verse  20,  "He  sent  his  word/'  is  very  remarkable: 
the  word  is  described  as  the  effusion  of  God,  his  ministering  angel. 
This  expression  conceals  the  truth,  that  every  Divine  operation  in 
the  world  is  effected  by  his  eternal  word. 

F  23 — 32.  If  the  Psalmist  in  the  preceding  verses  simply 
contemplated  the  trouble  of  his  nation  in  exile,  it  cannot  but  strike 
us  as  strange  that  he  connects  them  with  trials  of  a  more  general 
kind,  such  as  mariners  have  to  endure;  and  the  best  solution  of 
the  difficulty  is  to  assume  that  the  reference  was  not  exclusively  to 
Israel,  but  to  all  similarly  afflicted. 

F.  33 — 41.  There  is  again  a  more  special  regard  to  the  experi- 
ence of  his  nation :  the  language  resembles  Isaiah  xli.  18,  and  pro- 
bably alludes  to  that  passage. 


PSALM  CVIII. 

AT  a  time  of  great  national  depression  this  Psalm  was  composed  of 
two  portions  of  older  psalms,  of  Psalm  Ivii.  8 — 12  and  Psalm  Ix. 
7 — 14,  and  the  latter  portion  is  intended  to  remind  God  of  his 
promises,  to  fulfil  them  to  his  people. 


PSALM  CIX. 

IT  was  perhaps  composed  under  circumstances  similar  to  Psalm 
Ixix.  The  object  of  derision,  (v.  25,)  of  imprecation,  (v.  17 — 28,) 
and  persecution  unto  death,  (v.  16,)  to  those  whom  he  had  loved 
and  benefitted  (v.  4,  5,)  David  refrained  from  every  opposition 
except  that  of  prayer.  "But  I  give  myself  unto  prayer/'  (v.  4.) 
In  calling  him  to  vengeance  who  says,  "Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will 
recompense/'  he  flings  back  their  curse  with  such  a  vehemence 
upon  their  head,  that  the  impression  remains  that  he  was  not  alto- 
gether devoid  of  vindictive  feelings,  although  his  enemies  appear 
as  unsusceptible  to  the  love  of  God  and  man,  and  David  expressly 
35* 


414  COMMENTARY   ON    THE   PSALMS. 

declares  (V.  27,)  that  all  he  desires  is,  that  they  may  know  that 
the  Lord  is  God*  (see  Introduction,  the  paragraph  on  the  ethics  of 
the  Psalms,  and  also  notes,  ad.  Ps.  xli.  11.) 

He  describes  the  enormous  guilt  of  his  adversaries,  (v.  1 — 5.) 
He  imprecates  upon  them  what  they  had  imprecated  upon  him, 
/v  H—21,)  and  appeals  to  the  mercy  of  God  in  portraying  his 
wretched  condition,  (v.  21—25.)  He  prays  for  the  manifestation 
of  the  retributive  justice  of  God,  and  that  his  enemies  might  attain 
to  knowledge,  and  promises  sacrifices  of  praise  and  thanksgiving, 
(v.  25—30.) 

rpo  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

1  Hold  not  thy  peace,  0  God  of  my  praise: 

2  For  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  and  the  mouth  of  the 

deceitful  are  opened  against  me : 
They  have  spoken  against  me  with  a  lying  tongue, 

3  They  compassed  me  about  also  with  words  of  hatred ; 
And  fought  against  me  without  a  cause. 

4  For  my  love  they  are  my  adversaries : 
But  I  give  myself  unto  prayer. 

5  And  they  have  rewarded  me  evil  for  good, 
And  hatred  for  my  love. 

6  Set  thou  a  wicked  man  over  him : 

And  let  the  accuser  stand  at  his  right  hand. 

7  When  he  shall  be  judged,  let  him  be  condemned : 
And  let  his  prayer  become  sin. 

8  Let  his  days  be  few ; 

And  let  another  take  his  office,  f 

9  Let  his  children  be  fatherless, 
And  his  wife  a  widow. 

10  Let  his  children  be  continually  vagabonds,  and  beg : 
Let  them  seek  their  bread  also  out  of  their  desolate  places. 

11  Let  the  extortioner  catch  all  that  he  hath; 
And  let  the  strangers  spoil  his  labour. 

*  D.  Michselis  (also  Muentinghe,  Mendelssohn,  Knapp,  1st  Edition) 
holds  that  verses  6 — 19  are  the  expressions  of  the  cursing  adversary  who 
Bpeaks  in  the  singular.  But,  first,  verse  15  has  the  plural;  secondly,  verse 
17  can  only  apply  to  the  adversary;  and,  thirdly,  verse  20  shows  that 
David  sent  back  the  curses  upon  the  head  of  his  enemies. 

f  Some  translate,  "his  goods,"  (D.  Michaelis,)  but  since  his  possessions, 
his  goods  are  not  mentioned  till  verse  11,  and  since  the  present  clause  is 
parallel  to  the  thought,  "he  shall  early  end  his  life,"  it  is  better  to  trans- 
late, "his  office." 


PSALM  CIX.  415 

12  Let  there  be  none  to  extend  mercy  unto  him : 
Neither  let  there  be  any  to  favour  his  fatherless  children. 

13  Let  his  posterity  be  cut  off; 

And  in  the  generation  following  let  their  name  be  blotted 
out. 

14  Let  the  iniquity  of  his  fathers  be  remembered  with  the 

LORD; 
And  let  not  the  sin  of  his  mother  be  blotted  out. 

15  Let  them  be  before  the  LORD  continually, 

That  he  may  cut  off  the  memory  of  them  from  the  earth.* 

16  Because  that  he  remembered  not  to  show  mercy, 
But  persecuted  the  poor  and  needy  man, 

That  he  might  even  slay  the  broken  in  heart. 

17  As  he  loved  cursing  so  let  it  come  unto  him : 

As  he  delighted  not  in  blessing,  so  let  it  be  far  from  him. 

18  As  he  clothed  himself  with  cursing  like  as  with  his  garment, 
So  let  it  come  within  him  like  water, 

And  like  oil  into  his  bones. 

19  Let  it  be  unto  him  as  the  garment  which  covereth  him. 
And  for  a  girdle  wherewith  he  is  girded  continually. 

20  Let  this  be  the  reward  of  mine  adversaries  from  the  LORD, 
And  of  them  that  speak  evil  against  my  soul. 

21  But  do  thou  for  me,  0  GOD  the  Lord, 
For  thy  name's  sake : 

Because  thy  mercy  is  good,  deliver  thou  me ; 

22  For  I  am  poor  and  needy, 

And  my  heart  is  wounded  within  me. 

23  I  am  gone  like  the  shadow  when  it  declineth: 
I  am  tossed  up  and  down  like  the  locust, 

24  My  knees  are  weak  through  fasting ; 
And  my  flesh  faileth  of  fatness. 

25  I  became  also  a  reproach  unto  them: 

When  they  look  upon  me  they  shake  their  heads. 

26  Help  me,  0  LORD  my  God: 

0  save  me  according  to  thy  mercy: 

27  That  they  may  know  that  this  is  thy  hand; 
That  thou,  LORD,  hast  done  it. 

28  Let  them  curse,  but  bless  THOU  : 
When  they  arise,  let  them  be  ashamed ; 
But  let  thy  servant  rejoice. 

*  The  first  "tbem,"  refers  to  the  sin  and  iniquity  of  verse  14;  the  second 
"them,"  to  the  adversaries. 


416  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

29  Let  mine  adversaries  be  clothed  with  shame, 

And  let  them  cover  themselves  with  their  own  confusion, 
as  with  a  mantle. 

30  I  will  greatly  praise  the  LORD  with  my  mouth ; 
Yea,  I  will  praise  him  among  the  multitude. 

31  For  he  shall  stand  at  the  right  hand  of  the  poor, 
To  save  him  from  those  that  condemn  his  soul. 

V.  I — 5.  Beginning  with  calling  God  his  praise,  David  con- 
temptuously casts  off  the  reports  and  defence  of  men,  and  confesses 
the  all-sufficiency  of  God  in  the  conduct  of  his  affairs.  He  has  to 
deal  with  men  who,  so  far  from  having  been  provoked  by  unkind- 
ness  on  his  part,  stood  proof  against  the  love  and  benefits  which  he 
had  shown  to  them.  Their  most  venomous  reproaches  could  not 
excite  David  to  personal  revenge.  He  remembered  that  the  Lord 
had  said,  "  Vengeance  is  mine :  I  will  recompense."  Thus  he 
prayed  while  they  were  raging,  supplicating  patience  for  himself 
and  recompense  for  his  reproachers.  (Psalms  xxxv.  13;  cxli.  5.) 

V.  6 — 16.  However  terrible  these  deprecations  may  sound, 
they  are  uttered  as  sinful  only  if  their  fulfilment  yields  delight  and 
not  pain  to  the  utterer:  if  we  were  compelled  to  say  that  David 
would  not  have  greatly  preferred  the  conversion  of  his  adversaries 
without  such  a  retribution,  than  with  and  by  it  (the  retribution.) 
But  when  the  punishment  of  hardened  sinners  is  desired  so  vehe- 
mently, as  is  the  case  here,  its  eventual  occurrence  is  generally 
regarded  with  complacency.  Equanimity  is  always  allied  to  Divine 
wrath.  The  curse  is  this:  he  shall  find  an  unrelenting  accuser 
before  the  tribunal  of  men,  condemnation  in  the  judgment  of  God 
— his  prayer  shall  be  changed  into  sin  (as  it  must  be  in  the  case  of 
the  obdurate) — his  life  be  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days — his 
office  be  given  to  strangers,  so  that  his  wife  and  children  shall  be 
in  want — his  posterity  be  cut  off — and  the  transgression  of  the 
parents  be  visited  on  such  of  their  posterity  as  are  alike  unto  them. 
(See  ad.  Psalm  ciii.;  Matt,  xxiii.  35.)  We  should  not  forget  that 
however  hard,  uncommon,  and  terrible  these  words  may  sound, 
God  nevertheless  daily  brings  that  curse  upon  gross  sinners :  their 
life  often  comes  to  a  sudden  and  fearful  end,  the  last  sigh  assumes 
the  form  of  a  blasphemy  on  their  unclean  lips,  their  wife  and  chil- 
dren are  in  want,  and  the  transgressions  and  passions  of  parents 
reappear  in  the  lives  of  unworthy  offspring.  Every  consequence  of 
sin  is  a  punishment,  and  punishments  proceed  from  the  living  God. 
And  is  not  man  permitted  to  desire  that  God  should  do  what  he 
really  does,  provided  he  desire  it  in  that  sense  in  which  God  does  it? 
We  are  not  familiar  with  the  family  history  of  the  "son  of  perdi- 
tion," the  hardened  Judas;  but  in  so  far  as  we  ,are  acquainted 
with  his  history,  that  curse  was  realized  in  him.  He  was  con- 


PSALM   CX.  417 

demned  in  the  judgment  of  God,  (Matt.  xxvi.  24;)  his  prayer,  if 
he  prayed  at  all,  can  only  have  been  that  of  despair ;  he  ended  his 
life  in  the  midst  of  his  days,  and  another  took  his  office.  Peter 
has  therefore  justly  applied  this  passage  to  him.  (Acts  i.  20.) 

V-  17 — 20.  The  adversary  indulged  in  cursing,  as  if  he  were 
altogether  unaware  of  its  meaning :  so  shall  cursing  fall  to  his  lot, 
pierce  his  bone  and  marrow,  that  he  may  learn  what  cursing  is. 
Divine  punishment  deals  with  the  sinner  as  the  sinner  has  dealt  with 
God :  attacking  the  right  and  dignity  of  God  and  man,  he  is  him- 
self attacked  in  his  prosperity,  that  he  may  learn  what  He  has  done. 

V-  21 — 25.  He  represents  his  wretched  condition  to  God,  who 
might  perchance  be  moved  to  vouchsafe  his  aid :  he  takes  his  stand- 
ing on  grace,  not  on  right,  and  describes  the  consequences  of  his 
troubles :  he  is  like  a  disappearing  evening  shadow,  like  the  locust, 
chased  from  place  to  place,  grief  makes  him  loathe  nourishment, 
and  strength  has  fled  from  his  body. 

V.  26 — 31.  In  praying  for  the  help  of  God,  he  confines  himself 
not  to  his  own  welfare,  but  prays  for  the  hand  of  God  to  become 
known  among  men  as  the  hand  of  a  righteous  Judge.  The  Psalmist 
endeavours  to  assure  himself  of  Divine  favour,  since,  if  we  are  con- 
vinced that  God  is  our  friend,  all  the  enterprises,  attacks,  and  enmi- 
ties of  men  shall  prove  utterly  vain  and  impotent.  In  praying  he 
attains  to  the  assurance  of  eventual  deliverance,  and  promises 
unrestrained  praise  and  gratitude  among  men,  because,  though 
men  may  have  condemned  the  poor,  the  Lord  is  as  a  mighty  advo- 
cate at  their  right  hand,  who  will  crown  their  cause  with  victory. 


PSALM   CX. 

A  PSALM  of  David,  celebrating  the  victory  of  Messiah  as  a  priestly 
king.*     Just  as   the  prophets  represent  the   Messiah  under  the 

*  Those  who  reject  the  Messianic  interpretation  of  this  psalm  must 
either  straightway  reject  the  title,  or  render  it  "a  psalm  concerning 
David."  It  may  be  shown  that  the  psalm  cannot  refer  to  a  king  of  Israel. 
Could  it  be  said  of  such  a  one  that  God  would  set  him  down  at  his  right 
hand  ?  1  Chron.  xxviii.  5 ;  xxix.  23,  have  been  quoted  in  support  of  this 
supposition ;  but  the  throne  of  Israel  which  is  there  called  the  throne  of 
God  refers  to  the  throne  which  God  himself  had  established  in  Israel,  on 
which  the  king  is  seated  as  a  representative  and  not  as  an  assessor.  Ewald 
has  the  forced  rendering,  "  sit  thouin  my  triumphal  car;"  the  view  of  Kimchi 
and  Bleek,  that  being  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God  is  expressive  of 
Divine  protection,  is  more  admissible ;  but  it  can  be  shown  that  being  seated 
at  the  right  hand  of  a  king  denotes  familiarity  with  him  and  a  participation 
of  his  dignity.  No  king  of  Israel  moreover  held  the  regal  and  priestly 


418  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

threefold  character  of  king,  (Isa,  ix.  11;  Zech.  ix.)  prophet  and 
priest,  and  describe  his  victory  over  the  world,  now  by  the  figure 
of  a  martial  triumphal  procession,  now  as  a  reconcilement  by 
priestly  activity,  by  prayer  and  vicarious  suffering,  and  again  by 
instruction,  so  Psalms  ii.  Ixxii. ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  set  forth  the  Mes- 
siah as  a  victorious  king,  and  Psalra  ex.  as  a  Divine  Sovereign, 
uniting  in  himself  regal  and  priestly  dignity.  The  fulfilment  of 
history  reveals  the  manner  in  which  the  ideas  involved  in  that 
figurative  description  should  find  their  realization.  The  Son  of 
God,  after  having  been  a  teacher,  benefactor,  and  sufferer  in  a 
state  of  humiliation,  should  make  atonement  for  his  people,  attain 
thereby  to  government,  and  eventually  reveal  in  outward  glory  the 
kingdom  of  God,  which  he  had  inwardly  established.  Cf.  ad. 
Psalm  ii.  The  figurative  sense  of  the  expressions  borrowed  from 
earthly  warfare  is  clear  from  the  circumstance  that  the  sovereign 
militant  is  called  a  priest,  who  makes  atonement  for  his  people, 
and  that  his  army  are  an  army  of  priests.  Our  Lord  himself 
states,  (Matt.  xxii.  43,)  that  David  called  his  son  "in  spirit,"  his 
Lord,  i.  e.  inspired  by  God.  2  Samuel  xxiii.  2,  David  ascribes  to 
himself  Divine  inspiration. 

David  hears  "in  spirit"  the  call  of  God,  which  invites  the  Mes- 
siah to  the  participation  of  his  power  and  gives  him  the  victory, 
(v.  1 — 3.)  His  call,  like  that  of  Melchizedek,  is  that  of  a  priestly 
king ;  supported  by  his  God  he  shall  have  dominion  over  all  his 
enemies,  (v.  4 — 7.) 


A 


PSALM  of  David. 


1  The  LORD  said  unto  my  Lord, 

"SlT   THOU   AT   MY   RIGHT    HAND, 

UNTIL  I  MAKE  THINE  ENEMIES  THY  FOOTSTOOL/ 


office  conjointly.  1  Sam.  xiii.  9;  xiv.  82;  2  Sam.  vi.  17,  18;  1  Kings 
viii.  5,  are  quoted  to  show  that  the  kings  of  Israel  did  offer  sacrifice ;  but 
that  refers  to  the  slaying  of  the  victims  only,  which  in  former  times  was  done 
by  the  owner  and  not  by  the  priest.  See  Winer's  Lexicon,  s.  v.  "Sacrifice," 
p.  213.  It  can  be  demonstrated  that  this  is  the  meaning  of  1  Kings  viii.  5, 
where  it  is  said  that  Solomon  and  the  people  did  sacrifice.  The  fact  that 
the  Psalmist  has  to  go  back  to  hoary  antiquity  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
an  instance  of  the  union  of  the  priesthood  and  royality,  militates  still  fur- 
ther against  this  view.  When  Uzziah  presumed  to  sacrifice  upon  the  altar 
of  incense,  he  was  smitten  with  leprosy,  (2  Chron.  xxvi.)  The  warriors  of 
the  king  in  this  psalm  are  priestly  warriors.  Ewald  and  Maurer  acknow- 
ledge that  the  psalm  belongs  to  the  age  of  David.  Koster,  who  defends  the 
Messianic  interpretation,  calls  it,  "a  song  the  artistic  finish  and  poetic 
elevation  of  which  render  it  sublime."  It  breaks  off  suddenly,  but  that  is 
by  no  means  a  proof  that  it  is  merely  a  fragment.  Cf.  Psalms  Ixxxix. 
Ixxviii.  Ixxvii. 


PSALM  CX.  419 

2  The  LORD  shall  send  the  rod  (i.  e.  sceptre)  of  thy  strength 

out  of  Zion : 
Rule  thou  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies. 

3  Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power, 

In  the  beauties  of  holiness,  more  than  the  womb  of  the 

morning, 
Thou  shalt  have  the  dew  of  thy  youth. 

4  The  LORD  hath  sworn,  and  will  not  repent, 

"  Thou  #r£  a  priest  for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek." 

5  The  Lord  at  thy  right  hand 

Shall  strike  through  kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 

6  He  shall  judge  among  the  heathen, 

He  shall  fill  the  places  with  the  dead  bodies ; 
He  shall  wound  the  heads  over  many  countries.* 

7  He  shall  drink  of  the  brook  in  the  way : 
Therefore  shall  he  lift  up  the  head. 

F.  1,  2.  David  hears,  as  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1 — 3,  "in  the  spirit/' 
(Cf.  Rev.  i.  10,)  a  Divine  oracle  respecting  the  Messiah.  The 
Lord  promises  Divine  perfection  of  power  to  his  descendant,  and 
David  straightway  acknowledges  as  his  Lord  him  who  enjoys  such 
superhuman  dignity.  Although  the  phrase,  "until  I  make  thine 
enemies  thy  footstool/'  does  not  expressly  state  that  his  being 
seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God  should  continue  till  that  time  and 
then  cease,  yet  the  Psalmist  contemplates  the  possession  of  Divine 
perfection  of  power  for  the  specific  purpose  of  victory  over  his 
enemies.  The  apostle  has  taken  these  words  in  the  same  sense 
when  he  says,  (I  Cor.  xv.  24 — 26,)  "The  last  enemy  that  shall  be 
destroyed  is  death,"  and  mentions  as  a  consequence  the  surrender 
of  the  kingdom  to  God  the  Father.  When  Christ  shall  have  con- 
quered everything  in  man  which  opposes  the  completion  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  then  shall  the  dominion  of  God  over  believers 
cease  to  be  one  mediated  by  Christ,  but  God  shall  be  all  in  all. 
Zion,  the  outward  primarily,  but  ultimately  the  spiritual  Zion  and 
Israel,  shall  be  the  centre,  whence  the  dominion  of  God  over  man 
shall  begin  and  from  whence  it  shall  be  extended.  "Out  of  Zion 
shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem." 
(Isaiah  ii.  3.)  "In  the  midst  of  his  enemies,"  i.  e.  the  Son  of 
God  shall  display  his  dominion  while  encircled^by  his  enemies. 
This  is  an  emphatic  description  of  his  victorious  power. 

V.  3.  Those  who  fight  beneath  the  standard  of  that  king  follow 
him  with  willing  hearts.  He  reigns  over  them  because  he  is  their 
priest,  has  through  his  mediation  purchased  them  of  God  and  sanc- 

*  Tholuck's  version  is,  "He  shall  judge  among  the  heathen,  he  shall 
make  a  great  slaughter,  he  shall  crush  the  heads  far  over  the  country." 


420  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

tified  them  as  priests.  (Rev.  i.  6;  Isaiah  Ixi.  6.)  Hence  they  are 
said  to  appear  festively  adorned,  i.  e.  in  the  garb  of  priests.  (Psalm 
xxix.  2;  1  Chron.  xvi.  29;  2  Chron.  xx.  21.)  They  go  into  the 
wars  of  their  God,  as  into  a  holy  assembly.  So  Psalm  xcvi.  9  calls 
upon  the  nations,  "0  worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness: 
fear  before  him  all  the  earth/'  The  Lord  calls  his  people  "a  little 
flock ;"  but  compares  them  elsewhere  to  a  corn  of  mustard  seed 
which  grows  into  a  large  tree  and  becomes  the  shelter  of  the  birds 
of  the  air,  and  "  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude,  as  the  voice  of  many 
waters  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Alleluia : 
for  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth."  (Rev.  xix.  6.)  Isaiah 
says,  (Isa.  liv.  1 — 3,)  "Sing,  0  barren,  thou  that  didst  not 
bear;  break  forth  into  singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou  that  didst  not 
travail  with  child :  for  more  are  the  children  of  the  desolate  than 
the  children  of  the  married  wife,  saith  the  Lord.  Enlarge  the 
place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  thine 
habitations :  for  thou  shalt  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on 
the  left."  Fresh  and  innumerable  as  the  dew-drops  in  the  splen- 
dour of  dawn  shall  be  the  youthfully  strong  hosts  of  this  king. 
(2  Sam.  xvii.  12;  Psalm  cxxxiii.  3;  Mic.  v.  6;  Job.  xxxviii.  28.) 
"The  inhabitants  shall  not  say,  I  am  sick:  the  people  that  dwell 
therein  shall  be  forgiven  their  iniquity."  (Isa.  xxxiii.  24.) 

V.  4.  The  Lord  has  solemnly  and  irrevocably  sworn  that  this 
king  is  a  priest — not  a  priest  of  the  Levite  order,  but  a  patriarchal 
priest,  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  (Gen.  xiv. :)  His  priesthood 
is  eternal.  Passages  in  the  Prophets  predict  the  cessation  of  the 
Levitical  priesthood  in  the  last  time.* 

V.  5,  6.  The  Lord  shall  fight  at  the  right  hand  of  his  anointed, 
and  conquer  all  his  adversaries.  He  shall  greatly  extend  his  vic- 
tories among  the  heathen.  As  a  hero,  unspoiled  and  without  much 
stoppage,  drinks  of  the  brook  by  the  way,  (Of.  Judges  vii.  5 — 7,) 
so  shall  He  combat  without  stoppage,  and  therefore  boldly  raise  his 
head.f 

*  Isa.  Ixvi.  21;  Zech.  xiv.  20,  21.  The  great  doctrine  of  this  passage  is 
expanded  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  (chap,  vii.)  In  the  same  manner, 
Zechariah  predicts  the  union  of  regal  and  priestly  dignity  in  the  Messiah, 
(chap,  vi.)  Chap.  iii.  6  of  that  prophet  are  next  to  Isa.  liii.  the  most 
important  Messianic  passages  in  the  Old  Testament. 

f  Amyraldus:  "Hostibus  ne  momentum  quidem  temporis  dabit  ad  respi- 
randum.  Adeo  ut  vix  ipse  sibi  hoc  indulgeat,  ut  in  eorum  persecutione, 
levata  aliquantisper  galea,  aquam  e  torrente  haustam  properantissime 
bibat."  Several  commentators,  Solomon  ben  Melech,  Bucerus,  D.  Michselis, 
explain  with  reference  to  Numb,  xxiii.  24:  "He  shall  still  his  thirst  at  the 
stream  of  blood  by  the  way."  Luther,  Calov,  Stier:  "On  the  way,  t.  e.  on 
the  way  of  life,  he  shall  drink  of  the  waters  of  affliction,"  for  water  means 
sufferings,  (Ps.  Ixix.  1) — on  that  account  he  became  exalted  above  every 
creature,  (Phil.  ii.  8,  9.) 


PSALM   CXI.  421 


PSALM  CXI. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  celebrating  the  manifold  goodness  of  God, 
especially  towards  his  people.  Luther  regards  it  at  a  paschal  psalm, 
and  verse  5  as  a  praise  of  the  paschal  Lamb. 


ye  the  Lord. 
JT   I  will  praise  the  LORD  with  my  whole  heart, 
In  the  assembly  of  the  upright,  and  in  the  congregation. 

2  The  works  of  the  LORD  are  great, 

Sought  out  of  all  them  that  have  pleasure  therein.* 

3  His  work  is  honourable  and  glorious  : 
And  his  righteousness  endureth  for  ever. 

4  He  hath  made  his  wonderful  works  to  be  remembered  : 
The  LORD,  gracious  and  full  of  compassion. 

5  He  hath  given  meat  unto  them  that  fear  him  : 
He  will  ever  be  mindful  of  his  covenant. 

6  He  hath  showed  his  people  the  power  of  his  works, 
That  he  may  give  them  the  heritage  of  the  heathen. 

7  The  works  of  his  hands  are  verity  and  judgment; 
All  his  commandments  are  sure. 

8  They  are  established  for  ever  and  ever, 
And  are  done  in  truth  and  uprightness. 

9  He  sent  redemption  unto  his  people  : 

He  hath  commanded  his  covenant  for  ever  : 
Holy  and  reverend  is  his  name. 
10  The  fear  of  the  LORD  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  : 

A  good  understanding  have  all  they  that  do  his  com- 

mandments : 
His  praise  endureth  for  ever. 

F.  1  —  4.  The  Psalmist  confesses  himself  prompted  from  within 
to  the  praise  of  the  Lord.  Considering  the  concealment  of  that 
praise  as  tantamount  to  depriving  the  Lord  of  half  his  glory,  he 
resolves  to  publish  it  in  the  right  place,  namely,  the  assembly  of 
believers.  The  works  of  the  Lord  furnish  rich  materials  for  his 
praise.  All  possible  desires  of  his  people  are  already  satisfied  in 
the  works  of  the  Lord  :  many  of  them  may,  at  first  sight,  be  stum- 
bling blocks  and  rocks  of  offence  to  us,  but  the  longer  the  mind  of 
man  is  engaged  and  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  works  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  more  human  wisdom,  instead  of  running  in  the 
van  of  the  doings  of  God,  modestly  retires  to  the  rear,  the  more 

*  Or,  "Enough  for  all  their  (the  upright's)  desire." 
36 


422  COMMENTARY  ON  THE   PSALMS. 

will  they  manifest  the  most  perfect  wisdom.  His  honour  and 
glory  are  everywhere  visible,  for  all  his  works  display  his  right- 
eousness; i.  e.  his  perfect  justice  and  praise  worth  in  ess.  (Vide  ad. 
Ps.  xcviii.  2.)  His  marvellous  works  are  so  widely  diffused  and 
unmistakeable,  that  mankind  cannot  lose  their  memory,  and  that 
even  in  the  worst  times,  which  witness  the  servitude  of  the  flesh, 
his  worshippers  cannot  be  wanting.  He  meets  deluded  man  in  a 
thousand  ways,  for  His  every  work  and  doing,  if  viewed  from  a 
.right  point  of  view,  is  a  guide  to  the  gracious  and  compassionate 
Lord. 

F.  5 — 9.  He  hath  never  left  unsupplied  the  wants  of  those 
that  fear  him,  (Psalm  cxxxii.  15) — procured  food  in  the  desert, 
and  drink  to  gush  out  of  rocks :  he  will  never  repent  of  his  cove- 
nant with  the  patriarchs.  He  is  also  the  God  of  the  heathen,  and 
though  not  recognized,  has  manifested  the  works  of  his  hands 
among  them,  (Amos  ix.  7,)  but  above  all,  He  has  shown  them  to 
his  people,  (Ps.  cxlvii.  19,  20,)  and  given  them  the  possession  of 
the  heathen  for  an  heritage.  As  his  commandments  are  true  and 
just,  so  are  his  works.  Therefore  his  commandments  are  eternal: 
they  continue  as  the  fundamental  laws  of  his  kingdom  for  ever  and 
ever.  He  has  by  his  power  redeemed  his  people,  and  given  them 
an  everlasting  covenant. 

F.  10.  The  praise  of  the  Lord  is  followed  by  the  praise  of  the 
fear  of  the  Lord :  praise  is  succeeded  by  exhortation.  The  fear  of 
the  Lord  is  the  starting  point  of  all  true  wisdom:  any  inquiry 
.respecting  things  celestial  or  things  terrestrial,  if  conducted  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  is  sure  to  lead  to  the  right  way :  but  it  is  no  less 
the  true  source  of  real  wisdom  of  life;  for  since  "godliness  is  pro- 
fitable unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and 
of  that  which  is  to  come/'  (1  Tim.  iv.  8,)  it  proves  also  a  blessing 
in  every  temporal  work  and  pursuit.  (Ps.  cxix.  98 — 100.)  The 
praise  of  the  Lord  neither  can  nor  shall  cease  for  ever. 


PSALM   CXII. 
A  PSALM  of  instruction,  similar  to  Psalms  i.  and  xxxvii. 

1  pRAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL    Blessed  is  the  man  that  feareth  the  LORD, 
That  delighteth  greatly  in  his  commandments. 

2  His  seed  shall  be  mighty  upon  earth : 

The  generation  of  the  upright  shall  be  blessed. 


PSALM   CXIII.  423 

3  Wealth  and  riches  shall  be  in  his  house  ; 
And  his  righteousness  endureth  for  ever. 

4  Unto  the  upright  there  ariseth  light  in  the  darkness, 
From  him  who  is  gracious,  and  full  of  compassion,  and 

righteous. 

5  That  man  shall/are  well  who  showeth.  favour  and  lendeth : 
He  shall  guide  his  affairs  with  judgment. 

6  Surely  he  shall  not  be  moved  for  ever : 

The  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance. 

7  He  shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil  tidings : 
His  heart  is  fixed,  trusting  in  the  LORD. 

8  His  heart  is  established,  he  shall  not  be  afraid, 
Until  he  see  his  desire  upon  his  enemies. 

9  He  hath  dispersed,  he  hath  given  to  the  poor ; 
His  righteousness  endureth  for  ever ; 

His  horn  shall  be  exalted  with  honour. 
10  The  wicked  shall  see  it,  and  be  grieved ; 

He  shall  gnash  with  his  teeth,  and  melt  away: 
The  desire  of  the  wicked  shall  perish. 


PSALM  CXIII. 

A  PSALM  of  praise.  The  Lord,  though  high  and  lifted  up,  conde- 
scends to  favour  the  lowly,  regards  it  his  peculiar  employment  to 
advocate  their  cause,  and  to  conduct  them  from  the  dust  to  glory. 
This  is  the  fundamental  idea  in  the  songs  of  Hannah  and  Mary. 
(1  Sam.  ii.;  Luke  i.)  This  psalm  seems  to  be  the  echo  of  the  for- 
mer; see  verse  9,  and  cf.  verses  7,  8,  with  1  Samuel  ii.  8 :  "  Grod 
is  a  father  of  the  fatherless  and  a  judge  of  the  widows."  (Psalm 
Ixviii.  6.)  This  beautiful  appellative  contains  the  same  truth. 

Psalms  cxiii.  cxiv.  cxv.  cxvi.  cxvii.  and  cxviii.  form  a  cycle  of 
prayers  which  the  Jews  call  Hallel,  and  used  to  sing  at  some  of 
their  festivals,  especially  at  the  Passover.  (This  is  stated  in  the 
Talmud,  and  alluded  to  in  Matthew  xxvi.  30.) 

1  pRAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL    Praise,  0  ye  servants  of  the  LORD, 
Praise  the  name  of  the  LORD. 

2  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  LORD 
From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore. 


424  COMMENTARY  ON  THE   PSALMS. 

3  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same 
The  LORD'S  name  is  to  be  praised. 

4  The  LORD  is  high  above  all  nations, 
And  his  glory  as  far  as  the  heavens. 

5  Who  is  like  unto  the  LORD  our  God, 
Who  dwelleth  on  high, 

6  Who  humbleth  himself  to  behold 

The  things  that  are  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth  ? 

7  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust, 
And  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the  dunghill ; 

8  That  he  may  set  him  with  princes, 
Even  with  the  princes  of  his  people. 

9  He  maketh  the  barren  woman  to  dwell  in  an  house  v 
Like  a  joyful  mother  of  children. 

Praise  ye  the  LORD. 


PSALM  CXIV. 

A  PSALM  of  praise,  simple  and  sublime,  which  celebrates  God's 
powerful  deliverance  of  his  people  from  Egypt. 

1  TIT  HEN  Israel  went  out  of  Egypt, 

V  V  The  house  of  Jacob  from  a  people  of  strange  language ; 

2  Judah  became  his  sanctuary, 
And  Israel  his  dominion, 

3  The  sea  saw  it,  and  fled : 
Jordan  was  driven  back. 

4  The  mountains  skipped  like  rams, 
And  the  little  hills  like  lambs. 

5  What  ailed  thee,  0  thou  sea,  that  thou  fleddest  ? 
Thou  Jordan,  that  thou  wast  driven  back  ? 

x   6  Ye  mountains,  that  ye  skipped  like  rams? 
And  ye  little  hills,  like  lambs  ? 

7  Tremble,  thou  earth,  at  the  presence  of  the  LORD, 
At  the  presence  of  the  God  of  Jacob ; 

8  Which  turned  the  rock  into  a  standing  water, 
The  flint  into  a  fountain  of  waters. 

V.  1 — 4.     Israel  have  ceased  to  be  their  own  masters  from  the 
time  when  the  Lord  purchased  them  as  his  grateful  possession  by 


PSALM  CXV.  425 

his  wonderful  deliverance  out  of  Egypt,  and  gave  them  on  Sinai 
his  law;  they  are  now  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  royal  priesthood, 
(Exod.  xix.  6.)  How  mighty  is  the  God  under  whose  protection 
they  are,  whom  nature  obeyed,  before  whom  the  invincible  ocean 
fled,  the  solid  foundations  of  the  mountains  gave  way,  so  that  they 
skipped  like  rams  and  lambs ! 

F  5,  6.  The  Psalmist  intends  emphatically  to  shame  the 
obtuseness  of  men,  one  portion  of  whom  refuse  obedience  to  the 
Lord,  while  the  other  pass  by  in  indifference.  He  asks,  therefore, 
the  irrational  but  potent  forces  of  nature  to  name  the  overwhelm- 
ing power  before  which  the  mountains  and  the  sea  tremblingly 
receded. 

F.  7,  8.  He  now  pronounces  for  the  first  time  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  calls  not  only  upon  the  mountains  and  the  sea,  but  upon 
the  earth  to  tremble  before  the  Lord,  as  Sinai  trembled  and 
smoked  when  the  Lord  descended  on  it.  (Exod.  xix.  18.)  Reverting 
once  more  to  the  history  of  Israel,  he  shows  that  even  the  most 
solid  elements  of  the  earth  must  dissolve  at  the  word  of  God. 


PSALM  CXV. 

A  PSALM  of  prayer  and  of  praise,  composed  in  a  time  of  pagan 
oppression.  As  it  is  a  temple-song,  like  those  which,  after  the 
return  from  captivity,  used  to  be  sung  in  antiphonics  or  choruses, 
(Ezra  iii.  11,)  it  probably  belongs  to  that  period. 

May  the  Lord  glorify  his  people  before  the  blind  heathen  for  his 
name's  sake,  (v.  1 — 8.)  The  people  encourage  themselves  to  con- 
fidence and  experience  of  the  Divine  blessing,  (v.  9 — 15.)  Men 
enjoy  mundane  existence  for  the  praise  of  God:  he  shall  therefore 
be  praised  for  ever  and  ever,  (v.  16 — 18.) 

The  Levite  singers. 

1  IVTOT  unto  us,  0  LORD,  not  unto  us, 
i.\  But  unto  thy  name  give  glory, 

For  thy  mercy,  and  for  thy  truth's  sake. 

2  Wherefore  should  the  heathen  say, 
Where  is  now  their  God? 

3  But  our  God  is  in  the  heavens : 

He  hath  done  whatsoever  he  hath  pleased. 

4  Their  idols  are  silver  and  gold, 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

„  36* 


426  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

5  They  have  mouths — but  they  speak  not: 
Eyes  have  they — but  they  see  not : 

6  They  have  ears — but  they  hear  not : 
Noses  have  they — but  they  smell  not : 

7  They  have  hands — but  they  handle  not : 
Feet  have  they — but  they  walk  not: 
Neither  speak  they  through  their  throat. 

8  They  that  make  them  let  them  become  like  unto  them ; 
And  every  one  that  trusteth  in  them. 

The  Precentor. 

9  0  Israel,  trust  thou  in  the  LORD  : 

The  Chorus. 
He  is  their  help  and  their  shield. 

The  Precentor. 

10  0  house  of  Aaron,  trust  in  the  LORD  : 

The  Chorus. 
He  is  their  help  and  their  shield. 

The  Precentor. 

11  Ye  that  fear  the  LORD,  trust  in  the  LORD  : 

The  Chorus. 
He  is  their  help  and  their  shield. 

The  Levite  singers. 

12  The  LORD  hath  been  mindful  of  us;  he  will  bless  us; 
He  will  bless  the  house  of  Israel ; 

He  will  bless  the  house  of  Aaron. 

13  He  will  bless  them  that  fear  the  LORD, 
Both  small  and  great. 

14  The  LORD  shall  increase  you  more  and  more, 
You  and  your  children. 

15  Ye  are  blessed  of  the  LORD 
Which  made  heaven  and  earth. 

16  The  heaven,  even  the  heavens,  are  the  LORD'S  : 
But  the  earth  hath  he  given  to  the  children  of  men. 

17  The  dead  praise  not  the  LORD, 
Neither  any  that  go  down  into  silence. 


PSALM   CXV.  427 

18  But  WE  will  bless  the  LORD 

From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore. 
Praise  the  LORD.    . 

V.  1 — 3.  The  people  penitently  confess  that  for  their  virtue's 
or  merit's  sake  they  have  no  claim  upon  the  redemption  of  the 
Lord,  and  pray  that  the  Lord  would  have  mercy  for  his  name's 
sake.  (Isaiah  xlviii.  11 ;  Ps.  cxxxv.  15 — 18.)  Are  the  heathen 
to  regard,  as  they  do,  the  God  of  Israel  as  a  phantom  of  impotence  ? 
The  people  meet  that  wicked  thought  in  holy  boldness  with  the 
shield  of  faith,  since  their  God  is  as  infinite  as  the  heavens,  and 
does  whatever  he  wills.  The  union  of  the  two  sentences  in  v.  3, 
shows  that  the  appellative,  "God  in  the  heavens/'  implies  no  limit- 
ation of  power,  but  that  he  is  exalted  above  earthly  limits  as  the 
heavens  are  high  and  infinite  above  the  earth. 

V.  4 — 8.  How  shall  the  idols  of  the  heathen  sustain  a  com- 
parison with  this  God?  They  are  formed  of  earthly  materials, 
while  the  living  God  has  made  man :  they  owe  their  existence  to 
human  hands,  and  though  representations  of  the  human  form  are 
inferior  to  man,  for  they  are  soulless  representations.  It  is  the 
curse  of  every  false  religion  that  man  becomes  like  his  god :  the 
worshippers  of  a  soulless  god  get  soulless  themselves.  The  indig- 
nant Psalmist  wishes  them  that  punishment. 

V.  9 — 11.  The  congregation  gather  strength  and  encourage- 
ment to  persevere  in  their  confidence,  exhorting  the  laity,  the 
priests,  (Psalm  cxviii.  2,  3,)  and  then  all  who  fear  the  Lord.  In 
Psalm  cxxxv.  19,  20,  where  this  exhortation  is  repeated,  (also  v. 
15 — 18  are  taken  from  this  psalm,)  the  Levites  are  mentioned 
besides  the  priests  of  the  house  of  Aaron.  For  the  sake  of  greater 
vividness  the  two  halves  of  v.  9 — 11  were  probably  sung  by  the 
precentor  and  the  chorus,  (Neh.  xii.  42,)  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  latter  fell  in  when  the  former  had  done. 

V.  12 — 15.  The  entire  chorus  pronounces  the  blessing  of  God, 
who  is  not  a  soulless  idol,  but  the  Creator  and  Governor  of  heaven 
and  earth,  upon  the  house  of  Israel,  the  house  of  Aaron,  all  that 
fear  him,  both  great  and  small,  upon  present  and  future  genera- 
tions. 

V.  16 — 18.  The  Lord  is  enthroned  in  the  heavens,  exalted 
above  all.  He  has  prepared  the  earth  for  the  special  benefit  of 
man.  (Isaiah  xlv.  18.)  He  has  prepared  it  designing  that  they 
should  inhabit  it  and  enjoy  the  light  of  life,  and  by  their  praises 
render  it  a  temple  of  the  Lord,  for  this  can  be  done  by  the  living 
only.  (Ps.  vi.  6;  Ixxxviii.  11.)  The  congregation  of  Israel  pro- 
mise the  fulfilment  of  that  task,  and  will  praise  him  for  evermore. 


428  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  CXVI. 

A  DELIGHTFUL  psalm  of  thanksgiving,  some  passages  of  which, 
e.g.  v.  3.  5.  11,  are  taken  from  other  psalms:  its  language  too 
refers  its  date  to  the  period  after  the  captivity. 

The  Psalmist  deems  himself  happy  for  having  experienced  the 
blessings  of  granted  prayers,  (v.  1  —  6;)  in  his  trouble  he  had 
prayed  in  faith,  enjoys  present  peace,  and  would  gladly  recompense 
the  goodness  of  the  Lord,  (v.  7  —  12.)  He  expresses  the  enthusi- 
astic resolution  henceforth  to  pray  and  praise  right  from  the  heart, 
(v.  13—19.) 


is  my  delight,  that  the  LORD  hath  heard 
-     My  voice  and  my  supplications. 

2  Because  he  hath  inclined  his  ear  unto  me, 
Therefore  will  I  call  upon  Mm  as  long  as  I  live. 

3  The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me, 
And  the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me  : 
I  found  trouble  and  sorrow. 

4  Then  called  I  upon  the  name  of  the  LORD  ; 

0  LORD,  I  beseech  thee,  deliver  my  soul. 

5  Gracious  is  the  LORD,  and  righteous  ; 
Yea,  our  God  is  merciful. 

6  The  LORD  preserveth  the  simple: 

1  was  brought  low,  and  he  helped  me. 

7  Return  unto  thy  rest,  0  my  soul; 

For  the  LORD  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee. 

8  For  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  death, 
Mine  eyes  from  tears,  and  my  feet  from  falling. 

9  I  will  walk  before  the  LORD 
In  the  land  of  the  living. 

10  I  believed,  therefore  have  I  (or,  "though  I  said")  spoken  : 
I  am  greatly  afflicted  : 

11  I  said  in  my  haste, 
All  men  are  liars. 

12  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  LORD 
For  all  his  benefits  toward  me  ? 

13  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation, 
And  call  upon  the  name  of  the  LORD. 

14  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the  LORD 
Now  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people. 

15  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  LORD 
Is  the  death  of  his  saints. 


PSALM   CXVI.  429 

16  0  LORD,  truly  I  am  thy  servant; 

I  am  thy  servant,  and  the  son  of  thy  handmaid : 
Thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds. 

17  I  will  offer  to  thee  the  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving, 
And  will  call  upon  the  name  of  the  LORD. 

18  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the  LORD 
Now  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people, 

19  In  the  courts  of  the  LORD'S  house, 
In  the  midst  of  thee,  0  Jerusalem. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

V.  1,  2.  It  is  indeed  a  great  thing  to  know  from  our  own  expe- 
rience that  we  have  a  reconciled  Father  in  heaven,  who  cares  for 
us,  and,  though  infinitely  exalted,  hears  the  cry  of  poor  troubled 
mortals.  The  Psalmist  speaks  in  joyous  strains  of  the  gracious 
answers  to  his  prayers,  and  regards  them  as  a  solemn  admonition, 
in  every  kind  of  trouble,  to  cling  to  the  true  helper. 

V.  3 — 6.  The  suppliant  could  look  back  upon  the  experience 
of  a  David,  and  adopts  the  language  of  David  to  describe  the  abyss 
of  his  perils,  (Psalm  xviii.  4 :)  he  is  happy  in  being  able  to  join 
the  thousands  and  thousands  who,  from  their  own  experience,  con- 
fess to  the  righteousness  of  the  beautiful  name  which  the  Lord  has 
given  himself,  Exod.  xxxiv.  6.  "The  Lord  preserveth  the  simple." 
(Psalm  cxix.  130;  Acts  ii.  47.)  The  term  simple  equals  the  "sim- 
plicity" of  the  New  Testament,  namely,  that  pure  mind  towards 
God,  which,  without  looking  out  for  help  from  any  other  quarter, 
and  free  from  all  dissimulation,  expects  salvation  from  him  alone. 

V.  7 — 12.  This  passage  denies  not  the  necessity  incumbent 
upon  the  godly  to  strive  for  peace  of  heart,  though  deliverance  from 
the  Lord  should  linger  to  be  forthcoming.  Psalm  xciv.  19  shows 
the  very  contrary;  but  man  is  weak,  and  peace  is  generally  subse- 
quent to  the  answer  to  our  prayers.  The  Psalmist  exhorts  himself 
to  be  at  ease,  now  that  every  motive  for  uneasiness  has  vanished. 
He  has  been  delivered  from  death,  he  resolves  therefore  to  spend 
his  recovered  life  with  a  constant  regard  to  Him  to  whom  he  owes 
his  present  happiness.  The  prayer  of  faith  only  is  effectual :  the 
Psalmist  therefore  testifies  that  in  temptation  he  was  by  no  means 
devoid  of  faith.  He  believed  when  he  sighed,  "I  am  greatly 
afflicted."*  His  faith  made  him  even  then  confess  to  the  treachery 
of  every  human  aid,  and  to  cling  solely  to  the  heavenly  Helper, 
(Psalm  xxxi.  23,)  as  it  is  said  elsewhere,  "  It  is  better  to  trust  in 
the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence  in  man."  (Psalm  cxviii.  8.) 

V.  13 — 19.     As  it  were  astonished  at  the  magnitude  of  Divine 

*  Paul  cites  this  passage,  2  Cor.  iv.  13,  from  the  LXX.,  which,  however, 
does  not  well  suit  the  connection. 


430  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

goodness,  he  asks,  verse  12,  how  he  could  sufficiently  display  his 
gratitude.  This  is  a  question  which  should  every  day  stream  from 
the  heart  of  man,  since  there  is  nothing  more  reprehensible  than  to 
thoughtlessly  receive  the  blessings  of  God  as  matters  of  course. 
The  reply  to  that  question  needs  not  much  consideration,  since  God 
has  expressly  declared  (Ps.  1.  23)  that  a  sincere  prayer  of  thanks- 
giving is  the  most  grateful  sacrifice  to  him.  Such  sacrifices  the 
Psalmist  resolves  to  offer  openly  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people ; 
he  will  pay  his  vows  in  the  courts  of  the  temple  (congregational 
worship  was  then  confined  to  that  locality.)  The  figure  of  verse 
13  requires  elucidation.  Feasts  of  joy  were  connected  with  thank- 
offerings,  at  which  a  libation  of  wine  used  to  be  poured  out  in 
honour  of  the  Lord :  he,  therefore,  calls  the  cup  of  thanksgiving 
the  cup  of  salvation.  Yerse  15  points  back  to  Psalm  Ixxii.  14. 


PSALM  CXVII. 

THIS  psalm,  which  invites  not  only  Israel  but  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  to  engage  in  the  praise  of  the  Lord,  (Rom.  xv.  11,)  as  Psalms 
xcvi.  1 ;  c.  1,  used  to  be  sung  at  the  festivals  in  the  temple. 

1  A  PRAISE  the  LORD,  all  ye  nations : 
U  Praise  him,  all  ye  people. 

2  For  his  merciful  kindness  ruleth  mightily  over  us : 
And  the  truth  of  the  LORD  endureth  for  ever. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 


PSALM  CXVIII. 

A  SUBLIME  festal  psalm.  Yerses  5 — 18  favour  the  view  that  it 
was  sung  concerning  a  victorious  prince,  but  the  sequel  does  not 
agree  with  that  view,  since  verses  19 — 26  are  addressed  to  several 
persons,  nor  can  that  prince  be  identified.  He  cannot  be  David, 
for  several  internal  reasons.  The  formula  description  of  temple 
songs — verses  1.  29,  as  well  as  verses  2 — 4,  cf.  with  Psalms  cxv. 
cxxxvi. — indicate  that  the  psalm  belongs  to  a  period  subsequent  to 
the  captivity.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  c.  5.)  But  no  king  of  Israel  of  that 
age  could  use  the  language  of  verses  5 — 18.  The  only  remaining 


PSALM   CXVIII.  431 

view  is  that  the  whole  people  speak  in  that  passage  of  their  degra- 
dation before  and  during  the  exile,  (Cf.  Ps.  Ixxi.  20,  with  verse 
17,)  and  their  marvellous  deliverance.  Yerse  24  shows  that  it  was 
sung  at  a  feast,  and  verses  15.  27  that  it  was  the  feast  of  taber- 
nacles. (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xxvii.)* 

The  procession  moves  towards  the  temple;  Levite  singers  heard 
it,  and  invite  to  the  praise  of  the  Lord  in  the  liturgic  formula,  with 
which  they  also  conclude,  (v.  1 — 4.)  The  precentor  sings  of  the 
trouble  of  the  people,  of  the  infallibility  of  Divine  aid,  and  the 
courageous  faith  of  the  delivered,  (v.  5 — 18.)  The  people  desire 
to  pay  their  gratitude  to  the  Lord,  and  the  Levites  posted  inside 
the  court  invite  them  thither,  (v.  19,  20.)  The  people  celebrate 
the  mercy  which  exalts  the  deeply-humiliated,  (v.  21 — 25.)  An- 
other invitation  from  the  Levites  from  the  court  follows,  (v.  26,  27,) 
and  the  singers  conclude  in  the  name  of  the  congregation  with  the 
resolution  to  praise  the  Lord  and  an  invitation  thereto,  (v.  28,  29.) 

The  Levite  singers  of  the  procession. 

1  f\  GIVE  thanks  unto  the  LORD  ;  for  he  is  good : 
\J  Because  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Let  Israel  now  say, 

That  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

3  Let  the  house  of  Aaron  now  say, 
That  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

4  Let  them  now  that  fear  the  LORD  say, 
That  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

The  Precentor. 

5  I  called  upon  the  LORD  in  distress : 
The  LORD  answered  me  and  set  me  free. 

6  The  LORD  is  on  my  side ; 

I  will  not  fear :  what  can  man  do  unto  me  ? 

7  The  LORD  taketh  my  part  with  them  that  help  me : 
Therefore  shall  I  see  my  desire  upon  them  that  hate  me. 

8  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  LORD 
Than  to  put  confidence  in  man. 

*  Since  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  apply  verse  22  to  the  Messiah  (Matt. 
xxi.  42,  Acts  iv.  11,)  Tarnov,  Calov,  Geyer,  have  interpreted  the  whole 
psalm  not  only  of  the  Messiah  but  as  the  language  of  the  Messiah,  yet  not 
•without  being  conscious  of  the  forcedness  of  their  interpretation.  Theo- 
dore t,  Augustin,  and  Klauss  regard  verses  5 — 18  as  said  by  the  congrega- 
tion ;  Luther  explains  the  first  verses  of  that  passage  in  the  same  sense, 
saying  that  it  was  indifferent  to  him  whether  the  Psalmist  was  speaking  in 
verses  10 — 13  of  himself  or  of  Christians.  If  that  passage  and  verse  21 
are  inapplicable  to  the  Messiah,  it  follows  that  our  Lord,  by  quoting  verse 
22  in  his  address  to  the  Pharisees,  simply  means  to  say  that  the  expression 
of  the  Psalmist  had  its  truth  and  fulfilment  also  in  relation  to  himself. 


432  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

9  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  LORD 

Than  to  put  confidence  in  princes. 
TO  All  nations  compassed  me  about ; 

But  in  the  name  of  the  LORD  will  I  destroy  them. 

11  They  compassed  me  about; 
Yea,  they  compassed  me  about : 

But  in  the  name  of  the  LORD  will  I  destroy  them. 

12  They  compassed  me  about  like  bees ; 
They  are  quenched  as  the  fire  of  thorns : 

For  in  the  name  of  the  LORD  I  will  destroy  them. 

13  They  thrust  sore  at  me  that  I  might  fall: 
But  the  LORD  helped  me. 

14  The  LORD  is  my  strength  and  song, 
And  is  become  my  salvation. 

15  The  voice  of  rejoicing  and  salvation  is  in  the  tabernacles 

pf  the  righteous : 
"The  right  hand  of  the  LORD  doeth  valiantly. 

16  The  right  hand  of  the  LORD  is  exalted : 

The  right  hand  of  the  LORD  doeth  valiantly. " 
171  shall  not  die,  but  live, 

And  declare  the  works  of  the  LORD. 

18  The  LORD  hath  chastened  me  sore: 

But  he  hath  not  given  me  over  unto  death. 

The  Levite  singers  of  the  procession. 

19  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  righteousness : 

I  will  go  into  them,  and  I  will  praise  the  Lord : 

The  Levite  singers  in  the  outer  court. 

20  This  is  the  gate  of  the  LORD, 

Into  which  the  righteous  shall  enter. 

The  Levite  singers  of  the  procession. 

21  I  will  praise  thee :  for  thou  hast  heard  me, 
And  art  become  my  salvation. 

22  The  stone  which  the  builders  refused 
Is  become  the  head  stone  of  the  corner. 

23  This  is  the  LORD'S  doing: 
It  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

24  This  is  the  day  which  the  LORD  hath  made : 
We  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it. 

25  Save  now,  I  beseech  thee,  0  LORD: 

0  LORD,  I  beseech  thee,  send  now  prosperity. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  433 

The  Levite  singers  in  the  outer  court. 

26  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  LORD  : 
We  have  blessed  you  out  of  the  house  of  the  LORD. 

27  God  is  the  LORD,  which  hath  showed  us  light : 

Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords,  even  unto  the  horns  of  the 
altar.* 

The  Levite  singers  of  the  procession. 

28  Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  praise  thee : 
Thou  art  my  God,  I  will  exalt  thee. 

29  0  give  thanks  unto  the  LORD;  for  he  is  good: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

V.  1 — 4.  The  joyous  formula  which  is  to  celebrate  the  praise 
of  the  Lord,  receives,  by  the  repetition  of  its  last  clause  by  the 
people  and  the  priests  in  particular,  a  strong  amen. 

V.  5 — 14.  The  prayer-hearing  and  answering  God  has  assured 
their  hearts  that  he  is  an  all-sufficient  helper;  and  though  helpless 
men  and  even  the  princes  of  the  earth  should  promise  their  aid, 
the  honour  is  always  due  to  his  protection.  The  glorious  deliver- 
ance which  the  people  of  God  had  realized  gives  them  the  assur- 
ance of  future  triumphs.  Now  since  from  the  establishment  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  the  Israel  after  the  flesh  has  become  the  Israel 
after  the  spirit,  and  partakes  of  the  promises  and  privileges  of  the 
ancient  covenant  people,  the  Church  is  entitled  to  the  appropria- 
tion of  the  confidence  which  is  expressed  in  this  passage,  and  to 
join  in  the  solemn  words  of  this  psalm.  Luther  appropriated  this 
psalm  for  his  peculiar  comfort,  and  had,  according  to  Matthesius, 
verse  17  written  against  his  study  wall,  writing,  "This  is  my  psalm, 
which  I  love.  Though  I  love  all  the  Psalms  and  the  Scriptures, 
and  regard  them  as  the  comfort  of  my  life,  yet  have  I  had  such 
experience  of  this  psalm,  that  it  must  remain,  and  shall  be  called 
my  psalm,  for  it  has  been  very  precious  to  me,  has  delivered  me 
out  of  many  troubles,  and  without  it  neither  emperor,  kings,  the 
wise  and  prudent,  nor  saints,  could  have  helped  me." 

V.  15 — 18.  Immediately  after  Israel's  return  from  the  capti- 
vity, they  kept  a  solemn  feast  of  tabernacles,  which  feast  was  held 
in  special  reverence  by  the  people,  (Ezra  iii.  4;  cf.  Neh.  viii.  15;) 
this  psalm,  could  not,  however,  have  been  sung  on  that  occasion, 
because  the  temple  was  as  yet  unbuilt,  though  it  was  sung  at  a  time 
when  the  memory  of  the  wonderful  right  hand  of  the  Lord,  which 
having  sorely  chastised  them  had  exalted  them  again,  was  still 
alive  in  their  remembrance. 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "Decorate  the  feast  with  wreaths  to  the  horns  of  tho 
altar." 

37 


434  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

V.  19,  20.  An  address  to  the  temple-gates,  similar  to  that  in 
Psalm  xxiv.  7.  Here,  however,  the  people,  and  not  the  Lord  him- 
self, desire  to  enter  and  to  sacrifice  in  the  Divinely  appointed  place 
for  worship.  "The  gates  of  righteousness"  are  so  called,  as  may 
be  inferred  from  verse  20,  since  really  none  but  the  righteous  were 
to  be  admitted.  (See  ad.  Psalm  xv.) 

yg  21 — 25.  The  gratitude  for  granted  prayer  is  followed  by 
the  proverbial  expression  (v.  22,)  which  sets  forth  that  deliverance 
came  to  the  people  of  God,  at  a  time  when  its  deep  degradation 
gave  no  sort  of  hope  that  it  should  ever  attain  to  so  exalted  an 
honour.  The  essential  part  of  this  honour  consisted  in  their  being 
raised  from  the  dust  of  humiliation,  that  they  should  become 
the  foundation  in  the  building  of  the  eternal  kingdom  of  God. 
Salvation  flows  from  the  Jews;  Israel  is  the  good  olive  tree  on 
which  the  Gentiles  have  been  grafted.  Since  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  day  of  atonement,  all  the  Divinely  appointed  feasts 
were  days  of  rejoicing,  the  feast  of  tabernacles  in  particular,  which 
Josephus  calls  the  greatest  of  feasts,  the  invitation  to  rejoicing 
contemplates  primarily  festal  gladness,  which  became,  however, 
heightened  by  songs  of  praise  for  experienced  deliverance.  The 
very  expressive,  "Save,  0  Lord  (Hosannah,)  0  Lord,  send  now 
prosperity,"  with  which  our  Lord's  entrance  into  Jerusalem  was 
hailed,  (Matt.  xxi.  9,)  was  so  entensively  used  by  the  Jews  at  the 
feast  of  tabernacles,  that  the  boughs  with  which  they  constructed 
the  booths  were  called  "Hosannah,"  and  the  seventh  day  of  the 
feast  distinguished  as  the  great  Hosannah. 

F.  26,  27.  Every  one  should  enter  into  the  temple  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  i.  e.  in  obedience  to  his  commandment  and  with 
thoughts  of  him :  those  who  entered  in  that  manner  should  be 
welcomed  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord.  The  expression,  "  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord/'  has  been  particularly 
applied  to  the  Messiah,  who  came  in  obedience  to  the  command 
and  in  the  power  of  God,  whose  entrance  into  Jerusalem  was  also 
hailed  with  these  words.  (Matt.  xxi.  9;  cf.  Luke  xiii.  25.)*  The 
people  used  on  those  festive  days  to  carry  branches  of  the  olive, 
balsam,  myrtle,  and  palm-trees  in  their  hands,  and  to  build  with 
them  booths  in  their  roofs,  in  their  courts,  but  also  in  the  courts  of 
the  temple.  Neh.  viii.  16.  (The  feast  fell  not  into  spring-time, 
but  after  the  fruit  and  vine  harvest.)  Those  booth  garlands  should 
extend  to  the  horns  of  the  altar  of  burnt-offerings. •}• 

*  It  is  very  questionable  whether  this  expression  has  occasioned  the 
Messiah's  appellation  of  o  ep^o/motcc.  From  Rev.  xxii.  20,  it  seems  more  pro- 
bable that  the  term  denotes  him  as  the  object  of  desire.  Cf.  also  Gen. 
xlix.  10;  Isa.  xl.  10;  lix.  20;  Hag.  ii.  8. 

f  See  Stier  for  what  may  be  said  in  favour  of  the  rendering  of  Luther, 
the  LXX.  and  Jerome. 


PSALM  CXIX.  435 

V.  28,  29.  The  resolution  of  thanksgiving,  which  seems,  as  it 
were,  to  grow  out  of  the  preceding  exhortation,  is  followed  by  the 
invitation  which  stands  at  the  commencement  of  this  sublime 
psalm. 


PSALM  CXIX. 

A  PSALM  of  praise  in  celebration  of  the  law.  The  Masorites  notice 
that,  verse  122  excepted,  the  law,  the  word,  or  the  testimony  are 
mentioned  in  every  verse,  (cf.  however,  verse  132.)  There  is  no 
connection  between  the  verses,  since  the  psalm  is  composed  in  the 
order  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet.  (See  foot-note  to  Introd.  to  Ps.  xiv.) 
But  that  outward  form  of  consecutive  order  is  no  more  exclusive  of 
a  deeper  current  of  feeling  than  is  the  constraint  of  rhyme  with 
which  modern  poets  fetter  their  compositions.  Verse  176  testifies 
to  the  deep  feeling  and  humility  of  the  author.  The  whole  psalm 
is  pervaded  by  a  profound  sense  of  the  sublimity  of  the  Divine 
law,  in  connection  with  a  sense  of  personal  unworthiness.  Though 
repetitions  occur  in  some  verses,  and  others  correspond  to  the 
expressions  of  other  psalms,  yet  there  are  those  which  contain 
peculiar  and  touching  thoughts  which  especially  adapt  them  for 
texts  of  sermons.  We  confine  ourselves  to  a  summary  of  the  lead- 
ing thoughts  on  the  law.* 

The  Psalmist  expresses  his  estimate  of  the  law,  verse  105 — a 
feeling  which,  since  he  uttered  it,  has  been  re-echoed  by  myriads 
of  human  hearts.  "Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet,  and  a  light 
unto  my  path,"  (cf.  v.  59.)  The  law  of  God  is  to  him  not  only 
the  object  of  idle  contemplation,  nor  an  instruction  in  outward  cere- 
monies, but  a  practical  counsellor  for  every  circumstance  and  emer- 
gency of  life:  so  he  calls  in  verse  24  the  testimonies  of  God  the 
men  of  his  counsel.  It  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  recognize 
in  the  law  such  a  dominion  over  his  life,  and  such  a  corrector,  if 
he  did  not  regard  it  as  the  eternal  word  of  God,  (v.  89,  90.  96. 
152.  160.)  That  word  governs  the  world.  "It  continueth  this 
day  according  to  thy  word:  for  all  are  thy  servants/'  (v.  91.) 
What  a  theme  for  a  sermon !  He  especially  recommends  the 
saving  doctrine  of  the  law  to  young  men,  who  while  they  are  most 
easily  developed  and  trained,  are  also  easily  deluded  and  led  astray. 
The  beautiful  words  of  verse  9  have  been  the  polar  star  on  the 
path  of  life  to  multitudes  of  young  men.  His  acquaintance  with 
the  legislator  of  those  commandments  fills  him  with  holy  fear. 

*  Most  passages  are  remembered  by  every  child.  It  is  the  most  beautiful 
mark  of  the  excellency  of  a  doctrine  when  it  instructs  a  child. — Herder. 


436  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

"  My  flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee :  and  I  am  afraid  of  thy  judg- 
ments/7 (v.  120.)  He  has  experienced  that  this  legislator  has 
instituted  his  laws  not  for  the  benefit  of  himself,  but  for  the  welfare 
of  man,  and,  in  language  similar  to  Psalm  xix.  8 — 11,  he  praises 
with  a  rare  heartiness  the  blessing  of  his  possessing  those  command- 
ments; he  calls  them  his  treasure,  (v.  56,)  now  more  precious  than 
gold  and  silver,  (v.  72.  127.  162,)  now  his  peculiar  portion  and 
heritage,  (v.  57.  111.)  The  more  he  gets  acquainted  with  them, 
the  more  he  learns  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  greatest  wisdom 
and  best  sagacity,  (cf.  Psalm  cxi.  10.)  He  speaks  of  the  wondrous 
things  which  he  beholds  in  the  law,  (v.  18.  27.)  The  word  of 
God  has  been  his  best  comfort  in  affliction,  (v.  28.  50.  92,)  while 
trouble  and  humiliation  have  led  him  to  that  knowledge  which 
remains  concealed  to  the  majority  of  men,  (v.  67.  71.  75.)  In  the 
possession  of  that  knowledge  he  knows  himself  wiser  than  his 
teachers  and  the  ancients,  (v.  99,  100.)  He  knows  no  greater 
grief  than  to  see  others  break  the  law,  and  does  all  in  his  power 
that  his  open  avowal  of  the  law  shall  lead  men  to  acknowledge  its 
dignity  and  honour,  (v.  136.  139.  158.  46.  109.)  This  exposes 
him  to  the  necessary  consequence  of  persecution,  but  cannot  move 
him  from  his  position,  (v.  61. 157.  161.)  The  more  he  experiences 
shame  and  hostility  at  the  hands  of  the  despisers  of  God,  the 
greater  becomes  his  zeal  and  striving  to  commune  with  those  that 
fear  the  Lord,  (v.  63.  79.) 

ALEPH. 

1  "DLESSED  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way, 
JJ  Who  walk  in  the  law  of  the  LORD. 

2  Blessed  are  they  that  keep  his  testimonies, 
And  that  seek  him  with  the  whole  heart. 

3  They  also  do  no  iniquity: 
They  walk  in  his  ways. 

4  Thou  hast  commanded  us  to  keep  thy  precepts  diligently. 

5  0  that  my  ways  were  directed  to  keep  thy  statutes ! 

6  Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed, 

When  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  commandments. 

7  I  will  praise  thee  with  uprightness  of  heart, 

When  I  shall  have  learned  the  judgments  of  thy  right- 
eousness. 

8  I  will  keep  thy  statutes : 
0  forsake  me  not  utterly. 

BETH. 

9  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way? 
By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word. 


PSALM  CXIX.  437 

10  With  my  whole  heart  have  I  sought  thee : 

0  let  me  not  wander  from  thy  commandments. 

11  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  mine  heart, 
That  I  might  not  sin  against  thee. 

12  Blessed  art  thou,  0  LORD  : 
Teach  me  thy  statutes. 

13  With  my  lips  have  I  declared 
All  the  judgments  of  thy  mouth. 

14  I  have  rejoiced  in  the  way  of  thy  testimonies, 
As  much  as  in  all  riches. 

15  I  will  meditate  in  thy  precepts, 
And  have  respect  unto  thy  ways. 

16  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  statutes : 

1  will  not  forget  thy  word. 

GIMEL. 

17  Deal  bountifully  with  thy  servant,  that  I  may  live, 
And  keep  thy  word. 

18  Open  thou  mine  eyes, 

That  I  may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law. 

19  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth: 

Hide  not  thy  commandments  from  me. 

20  My  soul  breaketh 

For  the  longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at  all  times, 

21  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  proud, 

Cursed  are  they  which  do  err  from  thy  commandments. 

22  Remove  from  me  reproach  and  contempt; 
For  I  have  kept  thy  testimonies. 

23  Princes  also  did  sit  and  speak  against  me : 
But  thy  servant  did  meditate  in  thy  statutes. 

24  Thy  testimonies  also  are  my  delight 
And  the  men  of  my  counsel. 

DALETH. 

25  My  soul  cleaveth  unto  the  dust, 
Quicken  thou  me  according  to  thy  word. 

26  I  have  declared  my  ways,  and  thou  heardest  me : 
Teach  me  thy  statutes. 

27  Make  me  to  understand  the  way  of  thy  precepts : 
So  shall  I  talk  of  thy  wondrous  works. 

28  My  soul  melteth  for  heaviness: 
Strengthen  thou  me  according  unto  thy  word. 

37* 


438  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

29  Remove  from  me  the  way  of  lying: 
And  grant  me  thy  law  graciously. 

30  I  have  chosen  the  way  of  truth : 
Thy  judgments  have  I  laid  before  me. 

31  I  have  stuck  unto  th^y  testimonies : 
0  LOUD,  put  me  not  to  shame. 

32  I  will  run  the  way  of  thy  commandments, 

When  thou  shalt  enlarge  (or,  "comfort")  my  heart. 

HE. 

33  Teach  me,  0  LORD,  the  way  of  thy  statutes : 
And  I  shall  keep  it  unto  the  end. 

34  Give  me  understanding,  and  I  shall  keep  thy  law ; 
Yea,  I  shall  observe  it  with  my  whole  heart. 

35  Make  me  to  go  in  the  path  of  thy  commandments ; 
For  therein  do  I  delight. 

86  Incline  my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies, 
And  not  to  covetousness. 

37  Turn  away  mine  eyes  from  beholding  vanity : 
And  quicken  thou  me  in  thy  way. 

38  Stablish  thy  word  unto  thy  servant, 
Which  is  promised  to  thy  fear. 

39  Turn  away  my  reproach  which  I  fear : 
For  thy  judgments  are  good. 

40  Behold,  I  have  longed  after  thy  precepts: 
Quicken  me  in  thy  righteousness. 

VAU, 

41  Let  thy  mercies  come  also  unto  me,  0  LORD, 
Even  thy  salvation,  according  to  thy  word, 

42  So  shall  I  have  wherewith  to  answer  him  that  reproacheth 

me: 
For  I  trust  in  thy  word. 

43  And  take  not  the  word  of  truth  utterly  out  of  my  mouth ; 
For  I  have  hoped  in  thy  judgments. 

44  So  shall  I  keep  thy  law  continually 
For  ever  and  ever. 

45  And  I  will  walk  at  liberty; 
For  I  seek  thy  precepts. 

46  I  will  speak  of  thy  testimonies  also  before  kings, 
And  will  not  be  ashamed. 

47  And  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  commandments, 
Which  I  have  loved. 


PSALM  CXIX.  439 

48  My  hands  also  will  I  lift  up  unto  thy  commandments, 

which  I  have  loved ; 
And  I  will  meditate  in  thy  statutes. 

ZAIN. 

49  Remember  the  word  unto  thy  servant, 
Upon  which  thou  hast  caused  me  to  hope. 

50  This  is  my  comfort  in  my  affliction : 
For  thy  word  hath  quickened  me. 

51  The  proud  have  had  me  greatly  in  derision, 
Yet  have  I  not  declined  from  thy  law. 

52  I  remember  thy  judgments  of  old,  0  LORD  ; 
And  have  comforted  myself. 

53  Horror  hath  taken  hold  upon  me 
Because  of  the  wicked  that  forsake  thy  law. 

54  Thy  statutes  have  been  my  songs 
In  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage. 

55  I  have  remembered  thy  name,  0  LORD,  in  the  night. 
And  have  kept  thy  law. 

56  This  I  had  (or,  "this  was  my  treasure/') 
Because  I  kept  thy  precepts. 

CHETH. 

57  Thou  art  my  portion,  0  LORD  : 

I  have  said  that  I  would  keep  thy  words. 

58  I  entreated  thy  favour  (or,  "prayed  before  thy  face") 

with  my  whole  heart : 
Be  merciful  unto  me  according  to  thy  word. 

59  I  thought  on  my  ways, 

And  turned  my  feet  unto  thy  testimonies. 

60  I  made  haste  and  delayed  not 
To  keep  thy  commandments. 

61  The  bands  of  the  wicked  have  robbed  me : 
But  I  have  not  forgotten  thy  law. 

62  At  midnight  I  will  rise  to  give  thanks  unto  thee, 
Because  of  thy  righteous  judgments. 

63  I  am  a  companion  of  all  them  that  fear  thee, 
And  of  them  that  keep  thy  precepts. 

64  The  earth,  0  LORD,  is  full  of  thy  mercy: 
Teach  me  thy  statutes. 

TETH. 

65  Thou  hast  dealt  well  with  thy  servant,  0  LORD, 
According  unto  thy  word. 


440  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

66  Teach  me  good  judgment  and  knowledge : 
For  I  have  believed  thy  commandments. 

67  Before  I  was  brought  low  I  went  astray: 
But  now  have  I  kept  thy  word. 

68  Thou  art  good,  and  doest  good; 
Teach  me  thy  statutes. 

69  The  proud  have  forged  a  lie  against  me: 

But  I  will  keep  thy  precepts  with  my  whole  heart. 

70  Their  heart  is  as  fat  as  grease ; 
But  I  delight  in  thy  law. 

71  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  brought  low, 
That  I  might  learn  thy  statutes. 

72  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is  better  unto  me 
Than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver. 

JOD. 

73  Thy  hands  have  made  me  and  fashioned  me : 

Give  me  understanding,  that  I  may  learn  thy  command- 
ments. 

74  They  that  fear  thee  will  be  glad  when  they  see  me ; 
Because  I  have  hoped  in  thy  word. 

75  I  know,  0  LORD,  that  thy  judgments  are  right, 
And  that  thou  in  faithfulness  hast  brought  me  low. 

76  Let,  I  pray  thee,  thy  merciful  kindness  be  for  my  comfort, 
According  to  thy  word  unto  thy  servant. 

77  Let  thy  tender  mercies  come  unto  me,  that  I  may  live : 
For  thy  law  is  my  delight. 

78  Let  the  proud  be  ashamed;  for  they  dealt  perversely 

with  me  without  a  cause. 
But  I  will  meditate  in  thy  precepts. 

79  Let  those  that  fear  thee  turn  unto  me, 
And  those  that  have  known  thy  testimonies. 

80  Let  my  heart  be  sound  in  thy  statutes  ; 
That  I  be  not  ashamed. 

CAPH. 

81  My  soul  fainteth  for  thy  salvation: 
I  hope  in  thy  word. 

82  Mine  eyes  fail  for  thy  word, 
Saying,  When  wilt  thou  comfort  me  ? 

83  For  I  am  become  like  a  bottle*  in  the  smoke : 
Yet  do  I  not  forget  thy  statutes. 

*  /.  e.  a  leathern  bottle. 


PSALM  CXIX.  441 

84  How  many  are  the  days  of  thy  servant  ? 

When  wilt  thou  execute  judgment  on  them  that  perse- 
cute me? 

85  The  proud  have  digged  pits  for  me, 
Which  are  not  after  thy  law. 

86  All  thy  commandments  are  faithful : 

They  persecute  me  wrongfully ;  help  thou  me. 

87  They  had  almost  consumed  me  upon  earth ; 
But  I  forsook  not  thy  precepts. 

88  Quicken  me  after  thy  lovingkindness ; 

So  shall  I  keep  the  testimony  of  thy  mouth. 

LAMED. 

89  For  ever,  0  LORD,  thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven. 

90  Thy  faithfulness  is  unto  all  generations : 
Thou  hast  established  the  earth,  and  it  abideth. 

91  They  continue  this  day  according  to  thine  ordinances : 
For  all  are  thy  servants. 

92  Unless  thy  law  had  been  my  delights, 

I  should  then  have  perished  in  mine  affliction. 

93  I  will  never  forget  thy  precepts: 

For  with  them  thou  hast  quickened  me. 

94  I  am  thine,  save  me; 

For  I  have  sought  thy  precepts. 

95  The  wicked  have  waited  for  me  to  destroy  me: 
But  I  will  consider  thy  testimonies. 

96  I  have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection : 

But  thy  commandment  is  exceeding  broad  (or,  "con- 
tinueth.") 

MEM. 

97  0  how  love  I  thy  law ! 

It  is  my  meditation  all  the  day. 

98  Thou  through  thy  commandments  hast  made  me  wiser 

than  mine  enemies : 

For  it  is  ever  with  me  (or,  "For  it  is  my  treasure  for 
ever/') 

99  I  have  more  understanding  than  all  my  teachers : 
For  thy  testimonies  are  my  meditation. 

100  I  understand  more  than  the  ancients, 
Because  I  keep  thy  precepts. 

101  I  have  refrained  my  feet  from  every  evil  way, 
That  I  might  keep  thy  word. 


442  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

102  I  have  not  departed  from  thy  judgments : 
For  thou  hast  taught  me. 

103  How  sweet  are  thy  words  unto  my  taste ! 
Yea,  sweeter  than  honey  to  my  mouth ! 

104  Through  thy  precepts  I  get  understanding: 
Therefore  I  hate  every  false  way. 

NUN. 

105  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet, 
And  a  light  unto  my  path. 

106  I  have  sworn,  and  I  will  perform  it, 
That  I  will  keep  thy  righteous  judgments. 

107  I  am  brought  low  very  much : 

Quicken  me,  0  LORD,  according  unto  thy  word. 

108  Accept,  I  beseech  thee,  the  freewill  offerings  of  my 

mouth,  0  LORD, 
And  teach  me  thy  judgments. 

109  My  soul  is  continually  in  my  hand ; 
Yet  do  I  not  forget  thy  law. 

110  The  wicked  have  laid  a  snare  for  me : 
Yet  I  erred  not  from  thy  precepts. 

111  Thy  testimonies  have  I  taken  as  an  heritage  for  ever : 
For  they  are  the  rejoicing  of  my  heart. 

112  I  have  inclined  mine  heart  to  perform  thy  statutes  alway, 
JEven  unto  the  end. 

SAMECH. 

113  I  hate  vain  thoughts : 
But  thy  law  do  I  love, 

114  Thou  art  my  hiding  place  and  my  shield : 
I  hope  in  thy  word. 

115  Depart  from  me,  ye  evildoers : 

For  I  will  keep  the  commandments  of  my  God. 

116  Uphold  me  according  unto  thy  word,  that  I  may  live : 
And  let  me  not  be  ashamed  of  my  hope. 

117  Hold  thou  me  up,  and  I  shall  be  safe: 

And  I  will  have  respect  unto  thy  statutes  continually. 

118  Thou  hast  trodden  down  all  them  that  err  from  thy 

statutes : 
For  their  deceit  is  falsehood. 

119  Thou  puttest  away  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  like  dross ; 
Therefore  I  love  thy  testimonies. 


PSALM   CXIX.  443 

120  My  flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee ; 
And  I  am  afraid  of  thy  judgments. 

AIN. 

121  I  have  done  judgment  and  justice : 
Leave  me  not  to  mine  oppressors. 

122  Be  surety  for  thy  servant  for  good : 
Let  not  the  proud  oppress  me. 

123  Mine  eyes  fail  for  thy  salvation, 

And  for  the  word  of  thy  righteousness, 

124  Deal  with  thy  servant  according  unto  thy  mercy, 
And  teach  me  thy  statutes. 

125  I  am  thy  servant ;   give  me  understanding, 
That  I  may  know  thy  testimonies. 

126  It  is  time  for  thee,  LORD,  to  work, 
For  they  have  made  void  thy  law. 

127  Therefore  I  love  thy  commandments  above  gold ; 
Yea,  above  fine  gold. 

128  Therefore  I  esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all  things 

to  be  right; 
And  I  hate  every  false  way. 

PE. 

129  Thy  testimonies  are  wonderful: 
Therefore  doth  my  soul  keep  them. 

130  The  entrance  of  thy  words  giveth  light ; 
It  giveth  understanding  unto  the  simple. 

131  I  opened  my  mouth,  and  panted: 
For  I  longed  for  thy  commandments. 

132  Look  thou  upon  me,  and  be  merciful  unto  me, 

As  thou  usest  to  do  unto  those  that  love  thy  name 

133  Order  my  steps  in  thy  word: 

And  let  not  any  iniquity  have  dominion  over  me. 

134  Deliver  me  from  the  oppression  of  man : 
So  will  I  keep  thy  precepts. 

135  Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  servant; 
And  teach  me  thy  statutes. 

136  Rivers  of  waters  run  down  mine  eyes, 
Because  they  keep  not  thy  law. 

TZADDI. 

137  Righteous  art  thou,  0  LORD, 
And  upright  are  thy  judgments. 


444  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 

138  Thy  testimonies  that  thou  hast  commanded 
Are.  righteous  and  very  faithful. 

139  My  zeal  hath  consumed  me, 

Because  mine  enemies  have  forgotten  thy  words. 

140  Thy  word  is  very  pure : 
Therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it. 

141  I  am  small  and  despised : 

Yet  do  not  I  forget  thy  precepts. 

142  Thy  righteousness  is  an  everlasting  righteousness, 
And  thy  law  is  the  truth. 

143  Trouble  and  anguish  have  taken  hold  on  me : 
Yet  thy  commandments  are  my  delights. 

144  The  righteousness  of  thy  testimonies  is  everlasting : 
Give  me  understanding,  and  I  shall  live. 

KOPH. 

145  I  cried  with  my  whole  heart ;  hear  me,  0  LORD  : 
I  will  keep  thy  statutes. 

146  I  cried  unto  thee ;  save  me, 
That  I  may  keep  thy  testimonies. 

147  I  prevented  the  dawning  of  the  morning,  and  cried : 
I  hoped  in  thy  word. 

148  Mine  eyes  prevent  the  night  watches, 
That  I  might  meditate  in  thy  word. 

149  Hear  my  voice  according  unto  thy  lovingkindness: 
0  LORD,  quicken  me  according  to  thy  judgment. 

150  They  draw  nigh  that  follow  after  i^chief : 
They  are  far  from  thy  law. 

151  Thou  art  near,  0  LORD  : 

And  all  thy  commandments  are  truth. 

152  Concerning  thy  testimonies,  I  have  known  of  old 
That  thou  hast  founded  them  for  ever. 

RESH. 

153  Consider  mine  affliction,  and  deliver  me : 
For  I  do  not  forget  thy  law. 

154  Plead  my  cause,  and  deliver  me: 
Quicken  me  according  to  thy  word. 

155  Salvation  is  far  from  the  wicked : 
For  they  seek  not  thy  statutes. 

156  Great  are  thy  tender  mercies,  0  LORD  : 
Quicken  me  according  to  thy  judgments. 

157  Many  are  my  persecutors  and  mine  enemies ; 
Yet  do  I  not  decline  from  thy  testimonies ; 


PSALM  CXIX.  445 

158  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was  grieved : 
Because  they  kept  not  thy  word. 

159  Consider  how  I  love  thy  precepts : 

Quicken  me,  0  LORD,  according  to  thy  lovingkindness. 

160  Thy  word  is  true  from  the  beginning : 

And  every  one  of  thy  righteous  judgments  endureth  for 
ever. 

SCHIN. 

161  Princes  have  persecuted  me  without  a  cause : 
But  my  heart  standeth  in  awe  of  thy  word. 

162  I  rejoice  at  thy  word, 

As  one  that  findeth  great  spoil. 

163  I  hate  and  abhor  lying: 
But  thy  law  do  I  love. 

164  Seven  times  a  day  do  I  praise  thee 
Because  of  thy  righteous  judgments. 

165  Great  peace  have  they  which  love  thy  law: 
And  they  shall  have  no  stumbling-block. 

166  LORD,  I  have  hoped  for  thy  salvation. 
And  done  thy  commandments. 

167  My  soul  hath  kept  thy  testimonies; 
And  I  love  them  exceedingly. 

168  I  have  kept  thy  precepts  and  thy  testimonies : 
For  all  my  ways  are  before  thee. 

TAU. 

169  Let  my  cry  come  near  before  thee,  0  LORD: 
Give  me  understanding  according  to  thy  word. 

170  Let  my  supplication  come  before  thee: 
Deliver  me  according  to  thy  word. 

171  My  lips  shall  utter  praise, 

When  thou  hast  taught  me  thy  statutes. 

172  My  tongue  shall  speak  of  thy  word: 

For  all  thy  commandments  are  righteousness. 

173  Let  thine  hand  help  me ; 

For  I  have  chosen  thy  precepts. 

174  I  have  longed  for  thy  salvation,  0  LORD  ; 
And  thy  law  is  my  delight. 

175  Let  my  soul  live,  and  it  shall  praise  thee; 
And  let  thy  judgments  help  me. 

176  I  have  gone  astray  like  a  lost  sheep ;  seek  thy  servant ; 
For  I  do  not  forget  thy  commandments. 

38 


446  COMMENTARY   ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  CXX. 

LUTHER  renders  the  title  of  the  following  fifteen  short  psalms,  "A 
Song  from  the  higher  choir."  The  words  in  the  original  mean, 
"  A  Song  of  steps,"  and  the  translator  has  concluded  from  that 
term,  that  they  were  sung  from  a  higher,  more  elevated  place,  as 
it  were  a  choir,  to  secure  their  being  more  distinctly  heard.*  The 
meaning  of  that  title  is,  however,  not  yet  established;  the  common 
view  that  they  are  songs  which  were  sung  on  the  pilgrimage  to 
Jerusalem  is  beset  with  many  objections. 

This  psalm  is  the  song  of  a  man  in  affliction,  who  experiences 
calumny  and  disquietude  among  strangers. 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  In  my  distress  I  cried  unto  the  LORD, 
And  he  heard  me. 

2  Deliver  my  soul,  0  LORD,  from  lying  lips, 
And  from  a  deceitful  tongue. 

3  What  shall  be  given  unto  thee  ? 

Or  what  shall  be  done  unto  thee,  thou  false  tongue  ? 

4  It  is  as  the  sharp  arrows  of  the  mighty, 
With  coals  of  juniper. 

5  Woe  is  me,  that  I  sojourn  in  Mesech, 
That  I  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Kedar ! 

6  My  soul  hath  long  dwelt 
With  him  that  hateth  peace. 

7  I  am  for  peace :  but  when  I  speak, 
They  are  for  war. 

F  1,  2.  The  Psalmist  is  so  familiar  with  the  ways  of  God 
that  he  is  able  to  preface  his  complaints  with  the  confession  that 
he  supplicates  a  prayer-hearing  God.  He  then  specifies  his  trou- 
bles: they  are  pains  caused  by  unjust  calumniations.  Undaunted 
believers  are  never  free  from  them. 

F  3,  4.  He  cannot  refrain  from  uttering  an  imprecation 
against  that  false  tongue,  which  prepares  cutting  pain  like  sharp 
arrows,  and  lasting  pain  like  the  coals  of  the  broom  or  juniper  tree, 
which  are  said  to  retain^the  heat  for  weeks  and  months  together. 

F.  5 — 7.  He  mentions  the  remote  nations  of  the  Moschian 
mountains  along  the  Caspian  Sea  and  of  the  tent-dwelling  Arabs, 

*  Luther's  Works,  Ed.  Walch.  iv.  2387.  c. 


PSALM  CXXI.  447 

as  we  should  mention  the  Turks  and  Tartars  if  we  wished  to  des- 
cribe barbarian  nations.  He  is  retained  against  his  will  in  that 
rude  and  hostile  fellowship,  and  finds  himself  unable  to  silence 
their  discord  by  the  most  conscientious  effort  on  his  part  not  to 
provoke  them.  Paul,  in  exhorting  us  to  live  peaceably  with  all 
men,  foreseeing  that  it  does  not  entirely  depend  on  ourselves,  adds, 
"if  it  be  possible,"  and  "as  much  as  lieth  in  you."  (Rom.  xii.  18.) 
However  difficult  his  unwilling  residence  amidst  such  uncongenial 
elements  may  have  been,  and  however  long  it  might  have  seemed 
to  him,  yet  it  may  be  inferred  from  verse  1,  that  he  bore  without 
murmuring  or  despairing  the  delay  of  Divine  aid,  and  looked  trust- 
fully into  the  future. 


PSALM  CXXI. 

A  PSALM  of  consolation,  which  promises  to  those  who  seek  aid 
from  the  Lord  alone,  the  fulness  and  comfort  of  his  protection. 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

First  Choir. 

1  I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills, 
From  whence  cometh  my  help.* 

2  My  help  cometh  from  the  LORD, 
Which  made  heaven  and  earth. 

Second  Choir. 

3  He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot  to  be  moved : 
He  that  keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber. 

4  Behold  he  that  keepeth  Israel 
Shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. 

5  The  LORD  is  thy  keeper : 

The  LORD  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand. 

6  The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day, 
Nor  the  moon  by  night. 

7  The  LORD  shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil: 
He  shall  preserve  thy  soul : 

8  The  LORD  shall  preserve  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in 
From  this  time  forth,  and  even  for  evermore. 

*  Or  perhaps  more  correctly,  "Shall  I  lift  up  mine  eyes  to  the  hills  ? 
Whence  shall  my  help  come?" 


448  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

F.  1.  The  common  translation  of  this  verse  suggests  the  idea 
that  an  afflicted  person,  remote  from  the  holy  land,  looks  longingly 
towards  its  distant  hills.  The  hills  must  then  be  regarded  as  those 
of  Zion,  from  which,  though  destroyed,  the  bard  still  expects 
deliverance.  -The  expected  help  from  the  hills  must  also  be  the 
same  which  in  the  sequel  he  calls  the  help  from  the  Lord.  If  the 
former  half  of  this  verse  be,  however,  read  as  a  question,  "  Shall  I 
lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills?  Whence  should  my  help 
come?"*  we  have  then  the  thought  that  a  people  besieged  in  a 
fortress  look  for  help  into  the  distance,  (Nah.  ii.  2,)  which  help 
would  first  appear  on  the  mountain  summit.  According  to  this 
view  the  Psalmist  reproves  himself  for  looking  out  for  earthly 
help,  to  give  greater  prominence  to  the  thought  that  his  only  aid  is 
with  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 

V.  4 — 6.  The  Divine  Amen  to  that  confidence  is  added  in 
sweet  and  figurative  language.  The  weak  in  faith  are  prone  to 
imagine,  at  the  delay  of  Divine  deliverance,  that  God,  after  the 
manner  of  human  watchmen,  and  in  spite  of  the  office  he  has 
undertaken,  is  asleep.  But  that  can  never  apply  to  the  keeper  of 
Israel.  (Gen.  xxviii.  15;  Isaiah  xxvii.  3;  Deut.  xxxii.  10.)  He 
who  has  led  the  people  of  his  inheritance  from  the  days  of  their 
youth,  as  an  eagle  leadeth  her  young,  spread  his  wings  over  them 
and  kept  them  as  the  apple  of  his  eye,  (Deut.  xxxii.  10,  11,)  will 
assuredly  stand  as  a  keeper  by  the  side  of  those  who  ignore  every 
other  aid  save  that  of  the  Lord;  he  will  be  to  them  as  a  cooling 
shade  in  the  heat  of  noon ;  as  a  defender  in  battle,  so  that  neither 
the  sun,  nor  the  moon,  nor  day,  nor  night,  shall  do  them  any  harm. 
The  Psalmist's  reference  to  the  moon  is  probably  a  parallelism,"}* 
though  the  allusion  may  be  to  the  heavy  and  injurious  night  dews 
of  the  East. 

F.  7,  8.  A  general  blessing  succeeds  the  promise.  The  terms, 
"going  out/'  and  "coming  in,"  embrace,  according  to  the  Old 
Testament  phraseology,  every  act  of  the  vocation  of  life.  (Deut. 
xxviii.  6;  xxxi.  2;  2  Sam.  iii.  25.) 


PSALM   CXXIL 

A  PSALM  which  was  sung  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  provincial  towns  used  to  proceed  in  caravans  to 
Jerusalem,  singing  psalms.  This  may  be  inferred  from  Luke  ii. 

*  So  Venema,  Ewald. 

f  By  the  association  of  Ideas:  cf.  Hitzig  ad.  Isa.  xiii.  10.      Umbreit, 
"The  moonshine  shall  not  prevent  sleep." 


PSALM  cxxir.  449 

41.  44.  Since  the  psalms  of  degree  belong  mostly  to  the  exile  and 
a  later  day,*  and  since  in  the  days  of  David  there  was  no  sanctu- 
ary at  Gribeon,  (cf.  ad.  Ps.  xv.)  it  may  be  doubted  whether  those 
processions  to  Jerusalem  were  instituted  so  early,  and  whether  this 
song  does  not  belong  to  a  later  period.  But  the  tabernacle  and 
the  ark  of  the  covenant  were  doubtless  the  sanctuary  X«T'  t^x,*1'* 
and  David  was  anxious  to  make  Jerusalem  the  capital  of  his  king- 
dom ;  it  is,  therefore,  not  altogether  improbable  that  he  instituted 
the  annual  processions  to  Zion/j"  This  view  is  supported  by  the 
fact,  that  after  Solomon  the  reference  could  no  longer  be  to  the 
processions  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  but  only  to  those  of  the  two  tribes 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin.  Still  less  could  the  tribes  be  mentioned 
after  the  exile,  nor  could  the  thrones  of  judgment  of  the  house  of 
David.  If  David  is  the  author  of  this  psalm,  he  composed  it,  like 
many  others,  for  the  use  of  the  pious  of  his  nation. 


A 


SONG-  of  David  from  the  higher  choir. 


1  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me. 
Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  LORD, 

2  Our  feet  shall  stand 

Within  thy  gates,  0  Jerusalem. 

3  Jerusalem  is  builded 

As  a  city  that  is  compact  together : 

4  Whither  the  tribes  go  up,  the  tribes  of  the  LORD; 
It  is  a  law  to  Israel 

To  give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  the  LORD. 

5  For  there  are  set  thrones  of  judgment, 
The  thrones  of  the  house  of  David. 

6  Pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem : 
They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee. 

7  Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 

And  prosperity  within  thy  palaces. 

8  For  my  brethren  and  companions'  sakes, 
I  will  now  say,  Peace  be  within  thee. 

9  Because  of  the  house  of  the  LORD  our  God 
I  will  seek  thy  good. 

V.  1,  2.  The  Psalmist  reverts  to  the  beginning  of  his  festive 
pilgrimage,  to  the  moment  when  friends  and  relatives  invite  him  to 
it.  The  thought  of  it  is  a  thought  of  delight.  His  longing  mind 
overleaps  the  intermediate  space,  and  he  sees  himself  with  the  pil- 
grims within  the  gates  of  Jerusalem. 

*  Even  De  Wette  refers  Psalm  cxxxii.  to  the  days  of  Solomon, 
f  Compare  the  longing  with  which  Psalm  Ixxxiii.  speaks  of  the  pilgrim- 
age to  the  sanctuary. 
38* 


450  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

F.  3.  The  first  object  of  the  pilgrims*  astonishment  is  the 
extent  of  the  city,  where  one  house  is  built  close  to  the  other,  while 
gardens  and  open  spaces  intervene  between  the  buildings  in  smaller 
places.  This  is  the  most  common  view,  but  a  modern  expositor, 
remarks  that  this  meaning  is  cold.*  Going  back  to  David's  time 
we  may  translate,  "  That  is  compact  together/'  and  interpret  as 
follows.  Before  David,  Jerusalem  consisted  of  two  parts,  the 
castle,  held  by  the  Jebusites,  and  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
city.  David  conquered  Zion,  and  no  doubt  connected  those  por- 
tions of  the  city,  as  he  afterwards  connected  by  bridges  Mount 
Zion  and  Mount  Moriah.  It  is  said,  2  Sam.  v.  9,  that  David  built 
round  about  from  Millo  (the  city  of  Zion)  and  inward  (which  may, 
however,  equally  apply  to  fortifications.)  The  astonishment  at  the 
extent  of  the  city,  which  was  effected  by  the  established  junction 
of  the  different  parts,  would  therefore  be  explained. 

F.  4,  5.  The  thought  rises  from  the  outward  beauty  of  the  city 
to  its  inward  dignity.  It  is  the  city  to  which,  according  to  an 
ancient  and  now  renewed  law,  the  tribes  go  up  to  worship :  it  is 
the  city  where  the  house  of  David  administers  the  civil  law :  it  is 
the  centre  of  religion  and  of  the  state.  The  thrones  are  the  judg- 
ment-seats of  the  kings.  (1  Kings  xxii.  10;  Jer.  xxxviii.  7.)  But 
why  speak  in  the  plural?  Perhaps  because  such  seats  were  erected 
before  the  gates,  (cf.  Michselis'  Mosaic  Law,  i.  sec.  57,)  where 
judgment  took  place.  (Psalm  cxxvii.  5;  Amos  v.  10.  12.)  It  is 
but  natural  that  David  speaks  of  his  house.  (Cf.  2  Sam.  vii.  16; 
iii.  1;  Psalm  xviii.  51.) 

F.  6 — 9.  David  loved  Zion,  and  therefore  built  a  house  of  the 
Lord,  and  because  he  had  built  there  a  house  of  the  Lord,  his  heart 
became  still  more  attached  to  it.  He  therefore  prays  for  her  peace 
and  prosperity  within  and  without,  in  her  walls  and  palaces,  both 
for  her  inhabitants'  sake  and  the  house  of  the  Lord,  which  was  the 
glory  of  Jerusalem  and  the  joy  of  David.  (Ps.  xxiii.  6,  etc.) 


PSALM  CXXIII. 

A  PRAYER  of  the  whole  nation  in  a  condition  of  long-continued 

1  •!•      A'  '"' 

humiliation. 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  Unto  thee  lift  I  up  mine  eyes, 
0  thou  that  dwellest  in  the  heavens. 

*  Gesenius  Thes.  S.  V.  ^fifi 


PSALM  CXXIV.  451 

2  Behold,  as  the  eyes  of  servants  look  unto  the  hand  of 

their  masters, 

And  as  the  eyes  of  a  maiden  unto  the  hand  of  her  mistress ; 
So  our  eyes  wait  upon  the  LORD  our  God, 
Until  that  he  have  mercy  upon  us. 

3  Have  mercy  upon  us,  0  LORD,  have  mercy  upon  us : 
For  we  are  exceedingly  filled  with  contempt. 

4  Our  soul  is  exceedingly  filled 

With  the  scorning  of  those  that  are  at  ease, 
And  with  the  contempt  of  the  proud. 

V.  1.  The  Psalmist  directs  his  prayer  and  intercession  to  God, 
like  a  man  who  feels  the  degradation  of  his  people  as  his  own,  and 
is  himself  greatly  visited  by  it.  The  Psalmists  are  wont  to  call 
God  their  God,  for  their  peculiar  comfort,  just  at  the  time  when 
no  ray  of  hope  is  visible  on  earth;  so  here  the  Psalmist  addresses 
the  Lord,  who  dwelleth  in  the  heavens.  He  is  sure  that  the  attacks 
of  men  cannot  hurt  the  Lord,  that  the  sceptre  of  his  might  is 
unbroken,  and  that  his  eyes  reach  as  far  as  the  heavens. 

V.  2.  Men  but  rarely  escape  the  temptation  of  looking  out  for 
human  help  when  they  are  in  trouble,  but  the  Psalmist  here 
solemnly  declares  that  he  and  his  people  are  fixedly  gazing  upon 
the  hand  of  the  Omnipotent,  from  whom  all  the  powerful  on  earth 
have  received  and  are  daily  receiving  their  power,  all  the  wise  their 
wisdom,  and  all  helpers  the  strength  to  help.*  While  such  a  fixed 
gaze  upon  the  Lord  gives  to  him  his  due  honour,  it  yields  to  man 
continued  peace  and  moderation.  While  we  look  to  human  hands 
for  help,  hope  and  fear  alternate;  but  if  they,  who  may  be  sure  of 
a  gracious  God,  look  to  his  hands,  confidence  is  sure  to  ensue. 

V.  3,  4.  These  verses  seem  to  intimate  that  contempt  had  been 
carried  on  for  some  time  past,  and  that  the  faith  of  the  servants  of 
God  had  stood  a  long  trial.  This  renders  the  perseverance  of 
verse  2  the  more  astonishing.  They  had  got  tired  of  suffering :  we 
need  not  much  to  get  so.  This  short  and  hearty  psalm  contains, 
however,  not  the  expression  of  passionate  impatience,  but  rather  of 
believing  moderation. 


PSALM  CXXIV. 

A  BRIEF  but  powerful  song  of  praise,  like  many  psalms  of  David 
in  the  first  book.     Some,  though  on  insufficient  grounds,  have 

*Savary,  Letters  on  Egypt,  p.  135: — "The  slaves,  having  their  hands 
crossed  on  their  chest,  stand  silently  at  the  end  of  the  hall.  With  their 
eyes  fastened  on  their  mastery  they  seek  to  anticipate  his  every  wish." 


452  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

regarded  it  as  a  fragment  which,  after  the  exile,  was  used  by  the 
pilgrims  on  their  processions. 

The  first  verses  possess  peculiar  energy,  from  the  repetition  of 
the  former  clause  in  verses  1  and  2,  and  the  accumulation  of  images 
in  the  after  clauses.  Yerse  7  announces  the  victory  with  joyous 
vivacity — a  victory  under  circumstances  when  every  hope  of  deliv- 
erance seemed  to  have  fled.  Verse  8  expresses  the  confession  and 
vow  that  he  to  whom  everything  must  obey,  because  he  has  made 
everything,  should  be  the  sole  help  and  consolation  of  Israel.  Now 
if  the  Israel,  who  on  account  of  that  experience  could  sing  this 
song  of  praise,  continues  now  in  the  assembly  of  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  then  has  the  ancient  song  of  praise,  like 
many  others,  been  transferred  from  the  past  to  the  present:  the 
Church  of  Christ  shall  experience  the  same  deliverance,  and  sing 
the  same  songs  of  praise. 


A 


SONG  of  David  from  the  higher  choir. 


1  If  it  "had  not  been  the  LORD  who  was  on  our  side, 

Now  may  Israel  say; 
2,  If  it  had  not  been  the  LORD  who  was  on  our  side, 

When  men  rose  up  against  us: 

3  Then  they  had  swallowed  us  up  quick, 
When  their  wrath  was  kindled  against  us : 

4  Then  the  waters  had  overwhelmed  us, 
The  stream  had  gone  over  our  soul : 

5  Then  the  proud  waters  had  gone  over  our  soul. 

6  Blessed  be  the  LORD, 

Who  hath  not  given  us  as  a  prey  to  their  teeth. 

7  Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the 

fowlers : 
The  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  escaped. 

8  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  LORD, 
Who  made  heaven  and  earth. 


PSALM  CXXV. 


THIS  psalm  of  prayer  and  consolation  points  to  a  time  ' 
"  rod  of  the  wicked''  ruled  over  Israel,  and  when  many  o 


\  when  the 
i  many  of  the  peo- 
ple were  seduced  by  oppression  or  bad  example  to  make  fellowship 
with  the  wicked.  The  rod  of  the  wicked  most  probably  denotes  the 
power  of -heathen  oppressors>  (Ps.  xciv.  20;)  then  "the  righteous 


PSALM   CXXV.  453 

that  put  forth  their  hands  unto  iniquity"  are  either  those  who  sup- 
port the  oppression  of  heathen  despots,  or  those  who  get  seduced 
to  idolatry. 

The  Psalmist,  having  confidently  proclaimed  the  termination  of 
the  heathen  rule,  (v.  1 — 3,)  supplicates  God  to  bless  the  faithful 
of  his  people,  but  to  adequately  punish  the  rebels,  (v.  4,  5.) 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  They  that  trust  in  the  LORD  shall  be  as  Mount  Zion, 
Which  cannot  be  removed,  but  abideth  for  ever. 

2  As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 
So  the  LORD  is  round  about  his  people 
From  henceforth  even  for  ever. 

3  For  the  rod  of  the  wicked  shall  not  rest  upon  the  lot  (or, 

"  small  band")  of  the  righteous; 
Lest  the  righteous  put  forth  their  hands  unto  iniquity. 

4  Do  good,  0  LORD,  unto  those  that  be  good, 
And  to  them  that  are  upright  in  their  hearts. 

5  As  for  such  as  turn  aside  unto  their  crooked  ways, 

The  LORD  shall  lead  them  forth  with  the  workers  of 

iniquity : 
But  peace  shall  be  upon  Israel. 

V.  1,  2.  Not  less  firm  than  Zion,  the  mount  of  God,  are  they 
who  put  their  trust  in  the  Lord  of  that  sanctuary.  The  mountains 
which  encircle  Jerusalem  symbolize  the  high  protection  with  which 
God  encircles  his  people,  a  protection  as  immovable  as  their  foun- 
dations. (Zech.  ii.  5.)  In  speaking  of  the  eternal  duration  of 
Mount  Zion,  the  Psalmist  contemplates  not  the  mountain  as  such, 
but  regards  it  as  the  centre  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  whence  the 
Messianic  salvation  proceeds,  (Isa.  ii.  3,)  and  which  in  that  sense 
may  be  called  imperishable.  The  very  psalm  which  celebrates  the 
removal  of  the  ark  from  Zion  to  Moriah  declares  that  the  Lord 
shall  dwell  for  ever  in  Zion.  (Psalm  cxxxii.  13,  14.) 

V.  3.  This  verse  applies  the  confidence  expressed  in  the  pre- 
ceding verses.  The  Psalmist  complains  of  the  long-continued 
oppression  of  the  people  of  God.  In  describing  God  as  the  eternal 
protection  of  his  people,  he  by  no  means  intimated  thereby  that  he 
would  exempt  them  from  trial  and  affliction.  The  promise  is  not 
exemption  from  stumbling,  but  exemption  from  falling.  God  will 
not  forget  his  covenant,  nor  punish  beyond  measure.  (Ps.  xxxvii.  24; 
xciv.  18.)  The  noncontinuance  of  the  rod  of  the  wicked  is 
the  consolation  of  the  Psalmist. 

V.  4,  5.     This  passage  renders  it  clear  that  the  PsalmisUncludes 


454  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

not  in  the  terms,  "the  people  of  God"  and  "Israel/'  those  who 
carnally  belong  to  them,  for  he  expressly  implores  blessings  for  the 
small  band  of  the  upright  in  heart,  while  those  who  walk  in  crooked 
paths  shall  be  driven  away  with  the  ungodly.  The  reference  is 
here  as  elsewhere,  (Psalm  Ixxiii.  1;  xiv.  4,)  to  the  true  Israel. 
For  them  he  desires  peace.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  final 
verses  of  Psalms  cxxviii.  cxxx.  cxxxi. 


PSALM  CXXVL 

THIS  psalm  belongs  to  that  period  after  the  captivity,  when  inter- 
nal troubles  and  external  hostilities  pressed  upon  the  nation.  Cf. 
the  account  furnished  in  the  books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  and  the 
introduction  to  Psalm  Ixxxv.,  which  was  composed  under  similar 
circumstances. 

The  Psalmist  praises  the  past  dealings  of  God  in  the  happy 
recollection  of  the  delights  which  they  felt  on  returning  from  the 
captivity,  (v.  1 — 3.)  He  prays  for  the  further  manifestation  of 
Divine  help,  and  derives  comfort  from  the  knowledge  that  tears 
and  sorrows  lead  to  joy,  (v.  4 — 6.) 


A 


SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 


1  When  the  LORD  turned  again  the  captivity  of  Zion, 
We  were  like  them  that  dream. 

2  Then  was  our  mouth  filled  with  laughter, 
And  our  tongue  with  singing: 

Then  said  they  among  the  heathen, 
*  The  LORD  hath  done  great  things  for  them. 

3  The  LORD  hath  done  great  things  for  us ; 
Whereof  we  are  glad. 

4  Turn  again  our  captivity,  0  LORD, 
As  the  streams  in  the  south. 

5  They  that  sow  in  tears 
Shall  reap  in  joy. 

6  He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth, 
Bearing  precious  seed, 

Shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing, 
Bringing  his  sheaves  with  him. 

V.  1 — 3.     When  things  which  we  deem  incredible  come  even- 
tually to  'pass,  we  are  prone  to  regard  them  as  dreams  and  not  as 


PSALM   CXXVI.  455 

realities.  The  prophets  had  predicted  the  measure  of  Divine  pun- 
ishment. (Jer.  xxix.  10;  xxv.  12.)  Yet  their  deliverance,  when 
it  came,  appeared  to  the  people  as  a  blissful  dream.  In  proportion 
to  the  incredibility  of  that  event  would  have  been  their  guilt  in 
denying  the  Omnipotent  as  the  originator  thereof.  The  Psalmist 
testifies,  however,  that  the  rejoicings  of  the  delivered  were  not  con- 
fined to  what  they  saw,  but  that  they  ascribed  appropriate  praise 
and  glory  to  the  Lord  in  heaven.  How  could  they  do  otherwise 
when  even  the  blind  heathens  had  their  eyes  opened  and  cried : 
"The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  them/'  Indeed  there  is 
something  so  marvellous  in  the  determination  of  King  Cyrus  to 
suffer  a  great  people,  who  had  settled  in  his  country  and  filled  it 
with  prosperity,  to  depart  from  his  borders,  that  the  learned  con- 
fess themselves  unable  to  satisfactorily  account  for  the  motives  of 
the  king  of  Persia,  and  not  a  few  of  them  assume  that  he  must 
have  had  some  kind  of  faith  in  the  God  of  the  Israelites.*  The 
Psalmist  gratefully  repeats  in  the  name  of  the  people,  "  The  Lord 
hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad."  Though  he 
has  grounds  for  complaint,  he  is  unwilling  to  fail  in  the  duty  of 
thanksgiving  for  mercies  already  received. 

F.  4 — 6.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  notes  to  Psalm  xiv.  7,f  that 
the  expression,  "to  turn  the  captivity/'  is  in  the  Old  Testament 
figuratively  employed  for  the  turning  of  every  kind  of  misery. 
Narrowed  in  the  means  requisite  for  the  building  of  the  new 
city,  assailed  by  the  surrounding  heathen  nations,  who  interfered 
with  the  erection  of  the  temple  and  calumniated  them  to  the  king 
of  Persia,  the  Israelites  who  had  returned  from  the  captivity  had 
sufficient  ground  to  implore  farther  assistance  from  the  Lord.  The 
country  is  as  it  were  like  an  arid  desert.  The  Psalmist  prays  that 
the  Lord  would  treat  it  like  the  streams  in  the  waste  land  in  the 
south  of  Palestine,  which  dry  up  in  summer,  but  get  refilled  with 
water  in  autumn  and  spring.  (Job  vi.  15.)  In  this  prayer  the 
Psalmist  derives  strength  from  the  hope  which  has  met  innumera- 
ble fulfilments  in  the  kingdom  of  nature  and  in  history,  but  especi- 
ally in  the  experience  of  the  children  of  God.  (Heb.  xii.  11.)  The 
sower  casts  his  seed  if  not  in  tears,  yet  in  the  sweat  of  his  brow, 
but  when  the  merry  time  of  harvest  comes,  all  is  joy  and  gladness. 
The  combat  leads  to  victory,  sorrows  to  joy,  death  to  life.  Our 
Lord  expresses  the  same  truth  by  another  figure.  "Except  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone :  but  if  it 
die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  That  truth  cheers  the  Psalm- 
ist in  the  prospect  of  the  future;  though  as  he  says  in  verses  1,  2, 
the  past  has  already  confirmed  it  to  him.  (Jer.  xxxi.  9.)  This 
passage  is  applicable  to  suffering  Christians;  either  to  their  strug- 

*  Cf.  The  decree  of  Cyrus,  Ezra  i. 
f  Cf.  Psalm  Ixxxv.  6,  in  the  Hebrew. 


456  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

gles  this  side  the  grave  or  their  triumphs  beyond;  the  first 
verses  of  the  passage  are  also  explained  either  of  the  joy  of  the 
redeemed  on  earth  or  of  their  entrance  upon  the  bliss  of  eternity. 
Augustin  interprets  the  title,  "A  Song  of  Degrees,  i.  e.  a  Song  of 
drawing  upwards/'  of  the  drawing  (going)  up  to  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem.  This  is  right,  inasmuch  as  the  deliverance  from  the 
captivity  of  sin  and  death  should  in  an  increased  measure  excite 
those  feelings  of  gratitude  which  Israel  must  have  felt  on  being 
delivered  from  their  corporeal  captivity;  in  this  respect  again  is 
the  history  of  the  outward  theocracy  a  type  of  the  history  of  the 
Church.  Luther  says,  "  Let  us  overlook  the  peculiar  prisons  (i.  e. 
with  respect  to  the  Babylonish  captivity,)  and  explain  this  psalm 
of  the  common  prison  and  deliverance  of  the  entire  human  race." 


PSALM   CXXVII. 

THIS  beautiful  psalm  is  the  other  one  which  is  preserved  of  Solo- 
mon. (Cf.  Psalm  Ixxii.)  Its  pious  wisdom  of  life  is  peculiarly 
consonant  with  the  early  life  of  Solomon.  Luther,  "We  see  that 
Solomon  instructs  us  in  the  things  which  are  needed  for  the  pre- 
servation of  governments  (political  or  domestic,)  and  that  he  seldom 
treats  of  the  subject  which  so  much  engaged  the  attention  of  his 
father,  namely,  "righteousness."  We  read,  Prov.  x.  22,  "The 
blessing  of  the  Lord  maketh  rich  without  trouble;"  xvi.  9,  "A 
man's  heart  deviseth  his  way;  but  the  Lord  directeth  his  steps;" 
and,  viii.  15,  wisdom  says,  "By  me  kings  reign,  and  princes  decree 
justice."  Cf.  Eccl.  ix.  11;  viii.  16.* 


A 


SONG  of  Solomon  from  the  higher  choir. 


1  Except  the  LORD  build  the  house, 
They  labour,  in  vain  that  build  it : 
Except  the  LORD  keep  the  city, 
The  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain. 

2  It  is  vain  for  you  to  rise  up  early,  to  sit  up  late, 
To  eat  the  bread  of  sorrows : 

For  he  giveth  it  to  his  beloved  while  asleep. 

3  Lo,  children  are  an  heritage  of  the  LORD  : 
And  the  fruit  of  the  womb  is  his  reward. 

*  Cf.  the  linguistic  comparisons  of  Stier  ad.  loc. 


PSALM   CXXVII.  457 

4  As  arrows  are  in  the  hand  of  a  mighty  man ; 
So  are  children  of  the  youth. 

5  Happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them : 
They  shall  not  be  ashamed,* 

When  they  shall  speak  with  the  enemies  in  the  gate. 

F.  1,  2.  Although  there  is  nothing  more  certain  than  that  the 
ability  of  man  depends  on  the  supplies  from  the  inexhaustible 
treasure-house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  success  of  man  on  the  combi- 
nation of  outward  circumstances  which  are  beyond  the  control  of 
mortals,  yet  those  who  are  not  yet  convinced  that  "we  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being"  in  God,  are  ever  inclined  to  look  upon 
themselves  as  the  originators  of  their  prosperity.  The  design  of 
this  psalm  is  to  reprove  that  ungrateful  and  proud  idolatry.  Men, 
build  and  keep  watch,  but  if  they  do  it  without  God  it  is  all  in  vain. 
The  term  "house"  may  be  interpreted  as  "household"  or  "family," 
but  it  is  better  to  regard  it  as  a  literal  house,  since  afterwards  the 
city  is  mentioned.  The  term  "watchman,"  however,  seems  to 
have  a  more  extensive  meaning,  .(as  Ps.  cxxx.  6;)  it  applies  to  all 
who  are  responsible  for  the  prosperity  of  a  city,  such  as  the  magis- 
trates and  councillors.  The  prophets  are  called  "watchmen"  in  the 
Old  Testament.  (Isa.  Hi.  8;  Ezek.  iii.  17.) 

V.  3.  Having  stated  in  general  terms  the  futility  of  man's 
efforts  without  God,  the  Psalmist  now  addresses  those  for  whom  his 
remarks  are  designed,  to  point  out  to  them  still  more  particularly 
that  effort  and  anxiety  alone  are  not  enough;  for  many  seek  to 
account  for  the  failure^  of  men,  by  saying  that  they  have  not  suffi- 
ciently exerted  themselves.  The  last  clause  of  this  verse  has  been 
much  ridiculed  by  the  careless,  as  if  it  were  favouring  a  pious 
aversion  to  labour,  and  even  Luther  has  fallen  into  a  misapprehen- 
sion in  interpreting  "the  sleep"  as  "peace  of  conscience."  But 
from  what  precedes,  it  is  evident  that  Solomon's  meaning  is  tanta- 
mount to  the  old  proverb,  "Everything  depends  on  the  blessing  of 
God;"  or  as  P.  Gerhard  has  it,  "You  cannot  take  anything  from 
God  by  care  and  anxiety — you  must  pray  for  it."  Should  any  one, 
however,  feel  inclined  to  force  the  passage,  let  him  do  so,  but  bear 
in  mind  "that  it  is  given  to  the  beloved  of  God  while  they  are 
asleep ;"  but  those  who  pretend  to  be  the  beloved  of  God  must  not 
forget  that  though  it  is  true  that  the  Lord  can  and  does  give  it  to 
his  people  while  they  are  asleep,  yet  there  is  also  the  injunction  of 
the  apostle,  "If  any  will  not  work,  neither  shall  he  eat."  (2  Thess. 
iii.  10.) 

F.  4.  The  Psalmist  now  illustrates  by  a  most  forcible  example 
how  everything  depends  on  the  blessing  of  God.  Is  there  any- 

*  Or,  "Their  fathers  shall  not  be  ashamed.'1 
39 


458  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

thing  of  greater  moment  in  a  household,  after  toiling,  care,  and 
anxiety  have  had  their  due  weight,  than  the  possession  of  children? 
People  are  very  rarely  heard  to  say  that  God  has  not  given  them  a 
wife  or  a  fortune,  though  even  the  ungodly  will  thoughtlessly 
observe  that  the  Lord  has  given  or  refused  them  children.  It  is 
said  in  Genesis,  where  the  fruitfulness  of  matrimony  is  the  theme, 
"God  blessed  them/'  Thus  we  are  wont  to  call  children  the  bless- 
ing of  matrimony.  This  one  instance  must  render  it  patent  to  the 
most  blind,  that  with  all  our  efforts  and  cares,  prosperity  depends 
on  the  secret  influence  of  God. 

V.  5,  6.  The  Psalmist  takes  occasion  to  depict  the  excellency 
of  the  blessing  of  children.  A  number  of  grown  up  children,  begot 
in  the  strength  of  youth,  are  like  so  many  protecting  weapons  in 
the  assault  and  the  defence,  like  arrows  shot  by  a  strong  and 
expert  archer.  Happy  is  the  man  who  has  the  quiver  of  his  house 
full  of  them !  Such  fathers  are  blessed  even  in  the  judgment  when 
they  treat  with  their  enemies  in  the  gate,  (see  ad.  Psalm  cxxii. 
5;)  their  sons  become  their  spokesmen.  "  While  he  lived "  (the 
father  of  a  Well-trained  son)  "he  saw  and  rejoiced  in  him:  and 
when  he  died,  he  was  not  sorrowful.  He  left  behind  him  an 
avenger  against  his  enemies,  and  one  that  shall  requite  kindness 
to  his  friends."  (Sir.  xxx.  5,  6.) 


PSALM   OXXVIII. 

A  PSALM  which  celebrates  the  blessing  of  domestic  piety.  Luther 
calls  it  a  wedding-song  for  Christians.  The  impressiveness  of  the 
psalm  arises  from  the  Psalmist's  addressing  himself  to  his  readers 
personally. 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  Blessed  is  every  one  that  feareth  the  LORD; 
That  walketh  in  his  ways. 

2  For  thou  shalt  eat  the  labour  of  thine  hands : 
Happy  shalt  thou  be,  and  it  shall  be  well  with  thee. 

3  Thy  vfifd'shall  be  as  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides  of  thine 

house : 
Thy  children  like  olive  plants  round  about  thy  table. 

4  Behold,  that  thus  shall  the  man  be  blessed 
That  feareth  the  LORD, 

5  The  LORD  shall  bless  thee  out  of  Zion : 

And  thou  shalt  see  the  good  of  Jerusalem  all  the  days 
of  thy  life. 


PSALM  CXXVIII.  459 

6  Yea,  thou  shalt  see  thy  children's  children, 
And  peace  upon  Israel. 

V.  1.  The  fear  of  God  flows  like  a  fertilizing  stream  over  the 
temporal  existence  of  men.  The  Psalmist  rightly  praises  it  as  the 
only  solid  foundation  for  a  happy  household. 

F  2.  The  first  promise  respects  the  blessing  of  nourishment, 
the  second  that  of  matrimony,  the  third  that  of  children.  While 
mere  early  rising  and  sitting  up  late  are  not  sufficient  in  the  case 
of  the  ungodly,  (Ps.  cxxvii.  2,)  moderate  exertion  will,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  secure  the  wants  of  those  who  fear  the  Lord.  The 
promises  of  the  Scriptures  seem  to  speak  of  supernatural  bless- 
ings flowing  through  invisible  channels,  and  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  ways  by  which  the  blessing  of  God  flows  into  a  Christian 
household,  and  causes  it  to  prosper,  are  frequently  concealed  from 
our  view.  It  is,  however,  only  natural  that  the  fear  of  God,  in 
rendering  men  moderate,  contented,  honest,  and  diligent,  must 
ever  prove  the  source  of  prosperity  in  every  vocation  of  life.  Add 
to  this,  that  those  who  work  in  faith  and  love  are  joyful  and  easy 
workers.  May  it,  therefore,  not  be  said  that  the  fear  of  God  in 
part  at  least  removes  that  curse  from  labour  which  ushered  it  into 
the  world?  (Gen.  iii.  17.) 

V.  3.  Why  rejoices  man  in  the  blessing  of  a  prospering  work? 
If  he  has  to  reap  its  benefits  alone,  his  joy  is  scanty  and  silent;  he 
should  like  to  extend  them  to  a  house,  to  spread  a  table,  that  they 
who  are  one  flesh  and  blood  with  him  should  share  the  reward  of 
his  toils.  Thus  the  Psalmist  considers  the  second  and  third  bless- 
ings. He  compares  .the  wife  and  the  children  to  the  two  noble 
plants,  the  vine  and  the  olive  tree,  from  which  the  most  choice 
liquids  are  obtained.  He  refers  the  wife  to  the  interior  of  the 
house,  because  her  proper  domain  is  there,  and  not  in  the  streets 
and  market-places;  the  children  he  describes  as  seated  at  the  table, 
because  they  appear  peculiarly  pleasant  when  they  look  up  to  their 
father's  hand,  and  joyously  consume  the  food  before  them.  He  com- 
pares the  wife  to  the  vine,  the  clusters  of  which  no  less  rejoice  the 
eye  than  their  juice  gladdens  the  heart;  it  is  a  plant  which  needs 
support,  extremely  delicate,  and  yet  bearing  such  strong  fruit.  He 
may  probably  have  thought  that  the  children,  the  fruit  of  her  body, 
cling  to  her,  numerous  and  beautiful,  as  the  grapes  to  the  vine. 
He  compares  the  children  to  olive  branches,  not  on  account  of 
their  beauty,  but  on  account  of  their  great  number  in  the  tree  and 
the  excellency  of  their  fruit. 

F.  4.  6.  The  blessing  having  been  pronounced  in  the  third 
person,  is  now  addressed  in  a  direct  form  to  those  who  fear  the 
Lord.  After  the  removal  of  the  ark  from  Mount  Zion,  the  name 
of  Zion  used  to  denote  the  sanctuary  of  God,  and  Jerusalem  itself 
the  centre  thereof.  (Ps.  xx.  3.)  He  who  has  built  his  house  in 


460  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  fear  of  God  cannot  but  rejoice  in  the  building  and  flourishing 
of  the  city  of  God.  Such  a  building  of  houses  in  the  fear  of  God 
is  the  most  efficient  means  towards  the  good  of  Jerusalem.  Since 
men  regard  the  continuance  of  their  own  lives  in  those  of  their 
offspring  as  a  peculiar  blessing,  and  frequently  are  more  concerned 
for  the  welfare  of  their  children  than  their  own,  the  Psalmist  holds 
out  a  long  posterity.  The  Israel  which  is  praised  here  must  be  the 
true  Israel,  for  it  is  the  condition  of  the  godly  which  is  praised. 
(See  ad.  Ps.  cxxv.  5.) 


PSALM  CXXIX. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint.  It  belongs  to  a  period  when  many  calami- 
ties having  passed  over  the  nation,  the  Lord  had  graciously  removed 
their  last  affliction  as  he  had  their  former,  (v.  4.)  To  this  is 
annexed  an  imprecation  on  all  the  enemies  of  Zion. 


A 


SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 


1  Many  a  time  have  they  afflicted  me  from  my  youth, 
May  Israel  now  say: 

2  Many  a  time  have  they  afflicted  me  from  my  youth : 
Yet  they  have  not  prevailed  against  me. 

3  The  ploughers  ploughed  upon  my  back: 
They  made  long  their  furrows. 

4  The  LORD  is  righteous : 

He  hath  cut  asunder  the  cords  of  the  wicked. 

5  Let  them  all  be  counfounded  and  turned  back 
That  hate  Zion. 

6  Let  them  be  as  the  grass  upon  the  housetops, 
Which  withereth  afore  it  groweth  up : 

7  Wherewith  the  mower  filleth  not  his  hand; 
Nor  he  that  bindeth  sheaves  his  bosom. 

8  Neither  do  they  which  go  by  say, 

"  The  blessing  of  the  LORD  be  upon  you : 
We  bless  you  in  the  name  of  the  LORD." 

F.  1 — 4.  The  Psalmist  exhorts  his  nation  to  the  contemplation 
of  their  afflictions  from  the  days  of  their  youth,  i.  e.  the  exode  from 
Egypt  to  the  present  hour,  since  the  believing  consideration  of 
past  affliction  and  past  deliverance  is  most  conducive  to  courageous 


PSALM  CXXX.  461 

perseverance.  Their  wounds  had  been  deep :  the  plough  had  as  it 
were  gone  over  their  backs,  and  left  long  furrows  behind  it.  Yet 
the  end  has  always  been  this :  they  have  not  prevailed  against  me. 
When  the  seed  falls  into  deep  furrows,  it  will  yield  fruit,  and  the 
Lord  cut  asunder  the  cords  of  their  yoke  whenever  the  people  were 
yielding  the  desired  fruit. 

F.  5 — 8.  In  view  of  the  long  ranks  of  the  enemies  of  Zion, 
the  desire  arises  that  they  might  all  be  put  to  shame :  so  Christians, 
though  constrained  to  own  that  the  sufferings  of  the  Church  are  a 
capital  crucible  for  the  separation  of  her  dross,  can  hardly  suppress 
the  desire  that  the  enemies  of  the  Church  of  God  should  cease. 
The  imprecation  of  the  Psalmist  is  no  other  judgment  than  that 
which  arises  from  the  condition  of  the  enemies  of  the  Church. 
They  have  no  root,  like  the  grass  on  the  earth-covered  roofs  of  the 
houses  of  the  poor  in  the  East;  it  is  a  poor  crop,  and  does  not 
deserve  the  salutation  which  used  to  be  addressed  to  the  mowers, 
"  The  Lord  be  with  you."  (Ruth  ii.  4.) 


PSALM   CXXX. 

A  PSALM  of  complaint  in  deep  sorrow,  (v.  1 — 4,)  but  full  of  confi- 
dence and  encouragement  for  Israel,  (v.  5 — 8.) 

A    SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  thee,  0  LORD. 

2  Lord,  hear  my  voice : 

Let  thine  ears  be  attentive  to  the  voice  of  my  supplications. 

3  If  thou,  LORD,  shouldest  mark  iniquities, 
0  LORD,  who  shall  stand? 

4  But  there  is  forgiveness  with  thee. 
That  thou  mayest  be  feared. 

5  I  wait  for  the  LORD,  my  soul  doth  wait, 
And  in  his  word  do  I  hope. 

6  My  soul  waiteth  for  the  Lord 

More  than  they  that  watch  for  the  morning: 
That  watch  for  the  morning. 

7  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  LORD: 
For  with  the  LORD  there  is  mercy, 
And  with  him  is  plenteous  redemption. 

8  And  he  shall  redeem  Israel 
From  all  his  iniquities. 

39* 


462  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

y.  1 — 4.  As  a  cry  for  help  is  heard  from  an  abyss,  so  the 
troubled  bard  sends  his  cry  from  earth  to  heaven.  He  complains 
not,  as  most  men  do,  of  undeserved  suffering,  nor  asks,  Why  hap- 
pens this  to  me?  why  happens  this  to  me?  He  rather  confesses 
that  all  men  ought  to  consider  all  their  sufferings  as  the  well 
deserved  punishment  of  their  sins,  and  asserts  that  if  the  sins  of 
men  were  adequately  punished,  they  could  not  stand  before  God. 
He  holds  the  evangelical  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament,  by 
declaring  according  to  Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7,  that  the  existence  and 
prosperity  of  sinners  are  only  possible  because  of  Divine  forgive- 
ness, and  that  God  exerts  forgiveness  for  the  very  purpose  of  kind- 
ling the  fear  of  God  in  a  more  vivid  and  powerful  manner.  (Psalm 
cxliii.  2.) 

V.  5 — 8.  Confiding  in  the  true  word  of  the  Lord  and  the  surety 
of  his  promises*,  (Psalm  xxxiii.  4;  Ivi.  11,)  he  trains  himself  in 
perseverance.  His  soul  waits  upon  God,  as  watchmen  look  out  for 
the  light  of  day  in  a  dark  night.  (Isa.  xxi.  11.)  The  confidence 
which  has  cheered  his  own  heart  animates  him  to  exhort  all  the 
associates  of  his  nation  to  bear  in  mind  that  God  deals  with  us  not 
according  to  our  deserts  but  according  to  his  mercy.  We  may 
therefore  expect  much  and  even  new  redemption  at  his  hands,  till 
it  shall  be  completed  at  last,  when  the  true  Israel  of  God  shall  be 
redeemed  from  all  their  sins  and  their  melancholy  consequences. 


PSALM  CXXXL 

A  PSALM  of  David,  which  sets  forth  the  confession  of  his  calm 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God.  Some  think  that  it  is  descriptive 
of  David's  readiness  not  prematurely  to  desire  the  throne  of  Saul. 
But  there  are  many  other  circumstances  to  be  conceived,  which 
could  have  occasioned  this  brief  but  charming  psalm. 

A    SONG  of  David  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  LORD,  my  heart  is  not  haughty, 
Nor  mine  eyes  lofty ; 

Neither  do  I  walk  in  great  matters, 
Or  in  things  too  high  for  me. 

2  Surely  I  have  behaved  and  quieted  my  soul, 
As  a  child  that  is  weaned  of  his  mother : 
My  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned  child. 


PSALM  CXXXII. 

3  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  LORD 
From  henceforth  and  for  ever. 

V.  1,  2.  Common  experience  teaches  *us,  that  the  more  man 
has,  the  more  he  desires.  Hence  the  rich  are  if  anything  more 
liable  than  the  poor,  to  fall  into  the  universal  temptation  of  being 
dissatisfied  with  what  the  Lord  has  apportioned  to  them,  and 
of  striving  after  higher  things.  The  conduct  of  a  victorious  king, 
blessed  with  prosperity  and  power,  who  is  content  with  what  the 
Lord  has  meted  out  to  him,  demands  a  special  acknowledgment. 
The  Psalmist  neither  denies  the  temptation  of  passion  nor  the 
occasional  commotion  of  his  mind.  He  is  afraid  of  the  ingratitude 
of  which  he  would  become  guilty,  and  the  unfailing  retribution  of 
Divine  justice,  and  has  therefore  succeeded  to  calm  his  soul,  like 
the  weaned  infant  which  nestles  in  his  mother's  bosom  without 
desire. 

V.  3.  Assured  of  the  blessing  of  his  own  conduct,  the  Psalm- 
ist calls  upon  all  his  associates  in  faith  to  set  their  hope  on  the 
Lord,  who  in  due  time  will  grant  to  every  one  what  he  requires. 


PSALM   CXXXII. 

A  PSALM  of  supplication,  which  was  sung  at  the  removal  of  the 
ark  from  the  tabernacle  on  Zion  into  the  temple  on  Moriah.  As 
verses  8 — 10  occur  in  the  dedication  prayer  of  Solomon,  2  Chron. 
vi.  41,  42,  we  must  assume  that  either  Solomon  is  the  author  of 
this  psalm,  or  that  the  author  of  the  Chronicles  took  that  passage, 
which  is  wanting  in  the  version  of  the  prayer  which  is  furnished 
in  1  Kings  viii.,  from  this  psalm,  and  added  it  to  Solomon's  prayer, 
because  he  knew  that  the  king  had  uttered  it  on  that  occasion. 

The  prayer  supplicates  Divine  mercy,  on  the  plea  of  the  fidelity 
which  David  displayed  in  his  zeal  for  God,  and  especially  for  the 
building  of  a  house  for  the  ark,  (v.  1 — 5.)  The  people,  having 
stated  that  the  ark  used  formerly  to  wander  from  place  to  place, 
begin  to  worship,  (v.  6,  7,)  and  pray  for  mercy  on  the  sanctuary 
and  the  government,  (v.  8 — 10.)  They  cite  as  a  pledge  of  their 
confidence  the  word  which  the  Lord  spoke  unto  Nathan,  (v.  11 — 12.) 
Now  the  Lord  himself  speaks,  promising  to  dwell  in  Zion,  to  bless 
the  provisions  of  the  people,  to  give  salvation  to  the  priests,  and 
might  and  victory  to  the  royal  house,  (v.  13 — 18.) 


464  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

A    SONG-  from  the  higher  choir, 

First  Choir. 

1  LORD  remember  David, 
And  all  his  pains. 

2  How  he  sware  unto  the  LORD, 

And  vowed  unto  the  mighty  G-od  of  Jacob ; 

3  "Surely  I  will  not  come  into  the  tabernacle  of  my  house, 
Nor  go  up  into  my  bed ; 

4  I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine  eyes, 
Or  slumber  to  mine  eyelids, 

5  Until  I  find  out  a  place  for  the  LORD, 

An  habitation  for  the  mighty  Grod  of  Jacob.*' 

Second  Choir. 

6  Lo,  we  heard  of  it  at  Ephratah : 

We  found  it  in  the  fields  of  the  wood. 

7  We  will  go  into  his  tabernacles : 
We  will  worship  at  his  footstool. 

First  Choir. 

8  Arise,  0  LORD,  into  thy  rest ; 
Thou,  and  the  ark  of  thy  strength. 

9  Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness ; 
And  let  thy  saints  shout  for  joy. 

10  For  thy  servant  David's  sake 

Turn  not  away  the  face  of  thine  anointed. 

Second  Choir. 

11  The  LORD  hath  sworn  in  truth  unto  David ; 
He  will  not  turn  from  it; 

Of  the  fruit  of  thy  bodywill  I  set  upon  thy  throne, 

12  "If  thy  children  will  keep  my  covenant 
And  my  testimony  that  I  shall  .teach  them, 

THEIR  children  shall  also  sit  upon  thy  throne  for  ever- 
more." 

The  Two  Choirs. 

13  For  the  LORD  hath  chosen  Zion; 

He  hath  desired  it  for  his  habitation. 

14  "  This  is  my  rest  for  ever : 

Here  will  I  dwell ;  for  I  have  desired  it. 

15  I  will  abundantly  bless  her  provision: 
I  will  satisfy  her  poor  with  bread. 


PSALM  CXXXII.  465 

16  I  will  also  clothe  her  priests  with  salvation: 
And  her  saints  shall  shout  aloud  for  joy. 

17  There  will  I  make  the  horn  of  David  to  bud; 
I  have  ordained  a  lamp  for  mine  anointed. 

18  His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame: 
But  upon  himself  shall  his  crown  flourish/' 

F.  1 — 5.  The  pains  of  David  cannot  mean  anything  else  but  his 
varied  efforts  to  establish  the  sanctuary,  and  to  arrange  and  beautify 
its  worship.  As  a  single  proof  is  mentioned  his  anxiety  for  the 
place  of  the  ark.  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  adduced  determina- 
tion of  David  respects  the  foundation  of  a  house  for  the  ark  (that 
is  the  building  of  the  temple,)  and  the  words  which  are  put  into 
the  mouth  of  David  are  simply  an  expansion  of  the  concise  expres- 
sion in  2  Samuel  vii.  2,  (Acts  vii.  46,)  or  only  expressive  of  his 
desire  to  prepare  a  permanent  place  for  the  ark  on  Mount  Zion. 
Verse  6  favours  the  latter  supposition.  2  Samuel  vi.  contains  no 
further  details  respecting  his  determination  to  remove  the  ark  from 
Kirjath  Jearim,  where  it  had  been  accidentally  deposited.  (Cf. 
Introd.  ad.  Ps.  xv.)  On  the  other  hand,  1  Chronicles  xiii.  (xiv.) 
speaks  of  the  complaint  of  David  to  the  captains  of  Israel  that  the 
ark  had  not  been  sufficiently  honoured  by  Saul,  from  which  com- 
plaint we  may  infer  the  zeal  with  which  David  carried  on  its 
removal  to  Zion.  The  powerful  and  poetically  executed  expres- 
sions are  still  further  confirmed  by  an  oath.  There  is  no  need  that 
they  should  be  taken  literally.  (Prov.  vi.  4.) 

V.  6,  7.  The  people  confirm  the  declaration  of  David,  by 
stating  to  have  heard  from  of  old,  that  the  ark  used  to  be  in  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  i.  e.  at  Shiloh,  that  in  their  own  time  it  was  at 
Kirjath  Jearim,  i.  e.  the  city  of  the  wood,  that  therefore  they  had 
found  it  in  a  wild  region,  (v.  6.)  Then  follows  an  invitation  to 
worship  at  the  sanctuary  of  God.  We  have  remarked  on  Psalm 
xcix.  5,  that  the  visible  sanctuary,  and  the  ark  in  particular,  was 
called  the  footstool  of  God,  as  an  admonition  that  the  sensible  could 
after  all  be  only  a  poor  representation  of  the  eternal. 

F.  8 — 10.  The  ark  approaches  the  sanctuary,  (Numb.  x.  35;) 
blessings  always  attend  the  entrance  of  the  Lord.  The  church  and 
the  civil  government  are  two  institutions,  on  which  the  prosperity 
of  the  state  and  the  people  depend.  The  people  implore,  therefore, 
blessings  and  salvation  for  their  priests,*  and  permanent  dominion 
for  their  kings. 

F  11,  12.  The  most  potent  weapon  with  God  is  his  own  word. 
They  remind  him,  therefore,  as  did  Ethan  in  Psalm  Ixxxix.  20,  etc. 
of  the  solemn  words  which  he  had  spoken  by  Nathan,  and  which 

*  The  Chaldee  translator  regards  the  saints  as  Levites;  the  reference 
seems  hardly  to  the  godly  among  the  people:  the  Psalmist  probably  means 
the  priests. 


466  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

must  at  that  time  have  been  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  all. 
Solomon  too  made  mention  of  those  glorious  words  of  comfort  in 
his  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple.  (1  Kings  viii.  25.) 

V.  13 — 18.  It  may  seem  strange  that  the  eternal  resting-place 
of  God  on  Zion  sbould  be  spoken  of  at  the  very  moment  when  the 
ark  was  being  removed  from  Zion  to  Moriah.  This  objection 
might  be  set  aside  by  the  fact,  that  Zion  and  Moriah  were  at  first 
separated  by  a  gulf,  but  afterwards  united  by  bridges,  and  could 
therefore  be  regarded  as  one :  as  in  fact  the  gulf  is  now  filled  up, 
and  Moriah  no  longer  discernible  as  a  separate  hill.  But  it  is 
more  correct  to  say,  that  Zion  stands  for  Jerusalem,  as  is  clear 
from  verses  15 — 17;  and  we  Christians  should  therefore  bear  in 
mind  that  the  ancient  Israel  continues  in  the  Israel  of  God  of  the 
New  Testament,  (Gal.  vi.  16,)  and  Zion  in  the  Christian  Church. 
Calvin  says,  "  Christ  has  by  his  advent,  extended  Mount  Zion  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth."*  The  full  pleasure  of  the  Lord  in  this 
kingdom  which  he  established  according  to  the  free  resolve  of  his 
mercy,  animates  him  to  make  glorious  promises  to  people,  (Psalm 
cxi.  5,)  priest  and  king.  On  the  expression  "horn,"  see  notes  to 
Psalm  cxii.  9,  and  on  "lamp,"  cf.  Psalm xviii.  29. 


PSALM  CXXXIII. 

A  JOYOUS  and  hearty  psalm.  Its  theme  is  the  blessing  of  frater- 
nal unity  among  associates.  Commentators  regard  either  the  union 
of  the  tribes  under  the  sceptre  of  David,  as  the  occasion  of*  the 
psalm,  (2  Sam.  v.  3,)  or  the  great  assembly  of  the  people  during 
the  reign  of  David,  when  Solomon  was  anointed  as  king,  and  Zadok 
as  the  high  priest  of  the  people.  (1  Chron.  xxix.  [xxx.]  22.)  One 
of  the  three  great  feasts,  the  passover  in  particular,  when  all  the 
tribes  met  together  at  Jerusalem,  (Psalm  cxxii.  4,)  may,  however, 
have  inspired  David  with  this  psalm,  in  praise  of  fraternal  unity. 
Verse  3  alludes  to  a  gathering  in  Zion. 

A     SONG  of  David  from  the  higher  choir. 

1  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is 
For  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity ! 

2  It  is  like  the  precious  ointment  upon  the  head, 
That  ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard: 
That  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments ; 

*  Could  the  prophets  have  said  that  all  the  nations  should  flow  to  Zion, 
and  that  the  Temple  should  become  the  house  of  prayer  of  all  nations,  if 
they  had  not  regarded  Zion  as  the  symbol  of  the  kingdom  of  God? 


PSALM   CXXXIV.  467 

3  As  the  dew  of  Hermon, 

And  as  the  dew  that  descended  upon  the  mountains  of 

Zion: 

For  there  the  LORD  commanded  the  blessing, 
Even  life  for  evermore. 

V.  1.  The  Psalmist  calls  it  good  and  pleasant  for  associates  of 
the  same  faith  not  only  to  preserve  unity,  but  to  express  it  by  dwell- 
ing together,  as  it  was  the  case  when  all  the  worshippers  of  the 
One  God  used  to  flow  together  to  the  one  centre  of  his  adoration 
at  the  annual  three  great  feasts.  The  adjectives  grooc?  and  pleasant 
denote  the  blessedness  of  such  a  fellowship  of  love,  based  on  faith. 

V.  2,  3.  Two  beautiful  figures  describe  the  benefits  resulting 
from  such  a  dwelling  together — the  fragrant  oil  of  anointing  with 
which  the  high  priest  used  to  be  anointed,  the  most  sacred  and  fra- 
grant of  oils,  (Exod.  xxx.  24;  xxxvii.  29;  Lev.  viii.  10,)  as  well 
as  the  dew,  noted  for  its  copiousness  (see  ad.  Psalm  ex.  3,)  and 
refreshing  power.  The  blessing  of  that  fellowship  is  therefore 
gratifying  to  the  senses  and  strengthening  to  the  heart.  It  is  over- 
flowing and  all-embracing,  so  that  it  bears  and  refreshes  the  very 
meanest.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  expression  that  the  fragrant 
oil  copiously  poured  upon  the  head,  descends  to  the  ends  of  the 
reverential  beard,  ye&,  to  the  skirts  of  the  garments.  The  second 
figure  applies  the  former  to  the  case  in  hand.  The  Psalmist  means 
to  say,  these  figures  are  exemplified  in  Zion.  Hermon  is  a  very 
high  mountain,  enshrouded  in  clouds.  The  valleys  at  the  base  of 
such  mountains  have  a  peculiarly  copious  supply  of  dew.  The  dew 
of  Hermon  denotes  the  most  abundant  dew,  which  is  to  descend 
upon  the  community  of  the  pious  in  Zion.  This  psalm  of  praise 
on  the  unity  of  brethren  is  confirmed  by  the  statements  of  the  New 
Testament  respecting  the  glorious  blessings  of  fraternal  unity, 
which  blessings,  however,  will  not  be  completed  until  the  comple- 
tion of  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  have  taken  place.  The  last  words 
of  the  second  figure  show  that  it  has  ceased  to  be  a  simile,  and 
treats  of  the  exemplification  of  the  blessings  of  unity  in  Zion  and 
the  brethren  there  assembled.  They  indicate  that  the  promise 
belongs  to  Zion.  The  word  "blessing"  is  explained  by  the  more 
pregnant  term  "life." 


PSALM  CXXXIV. 

A  SONG  of  praise  for  the  Levites,  who  were  appointed  to  hold  the 
night  watch  in  the  temple. 

"The  offices  of  the  Levites  were  threefold.     They  officiated  in 
holy  things,   conducted   the  singing,  and  guarded  the   temple. 


468  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

(1  Chron.  xxvi.  [xxvii.;]  Lev.  viii.  35.)  The  temple  was  guarded 
also  during  the  day,  to  ward  off  the  approach  of  unclean  persons; 
but  the  watch  was  kept  up  especially  at  night. 

This  psalm  and  1  Chronicles  ix.  (x.)  33,  show  that  praise  used 
to  be  offered  at  night.  The  coming  and  retiring  Levites  invite 
each  other  to  praise  by  responses.  Yerse  3  speaks  of  God  the 
Creator  to  denote  his  power,  from  which  believers  may  venture  to 
hope  everything. 


A 


SONG  from  the  higher  choir. 


The  coming  Temple-guard. 

1  Behold,  bless  ye  the  LORD, 
All  ye  servants  of  the  LORD, 

Which  by  night  stand  in  the  house  of  the  LORD. 

2  Lift  up  your  hands  to  the  sanctuary, 
And  bless  the  LORD. 

The  retiring  Temple-guard. 

3  The  LORD  that  made  heaven  and  earth 
Bless  thee  out  of  Zion. 


PSALM  CXXXV. 

A  SONG  of  praise  for  all  the  people,  for  those  who  stand  in  the 
courts  of  the  temple,  (v.  2.)  God  is  worthy  to  be  praised,  for 
Israel  is  his  peculiar  treasure,  and  he  is  greater  than  all  the  gods, 
(v.  4 — 6.)  This  is  seen  from  his  government  in  nature,  (v.  7,)  no 
less  than  from  the  past  experience  and  guidance  of  his  people, 
(v.  8^ — 12.)  He  will  be  merciful  to  his  people  for  ever,  (v.  13,  14.) 
The  idols  are  soulless  and  powerless  formations  of  men's  hands, 
(v.  15 — 18.)  Repeated  invitations  to  praise  are  addressed  to  the 
people,  the  priests,  and  the  Levites,  (v.  19,  20.)  Cf.  with  the  last 
verses  Psalm  cxv.  3 — 10. 

1  pRAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL    Praise  ye  the  name  of  the  LORD  ; 
Praise  him,  0  ye  servants  of  the  LORD. 

2  Ye  that  stand  in  the  house  of  the  LORD, 
In  the  courts  of  the  house  of  our  God. 


PSALM   CXXXV.  u  469 

3  Praise  the  LORD  ;  for  the  LORD  is  good  : 
Sing  praises  unto  his  name  ;  for  it  is  pleasant. 

4  For  the  LORD  hath  chosen  Jacob  unto  himself, 
And  Israel  for  his  peculiar  treasure. 

5  For  I  know  that  the  LORD  is  great 
And  that  our  LORD  is  above  all  gods. 

6  Whatsoever  the  LORD  pleaseth,  that  doeth  he 
In  heaven  and  in  earth, 

In  the  seas,  and  all  deep  places. 

7  He  causeth  the  clouds  to  ascend  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  ; 
He  maketh  lightnings  for  the  rain  ; 

He  bringeth  the  wind  out  of  his  treasuries, 

8  Who  smote  the  firstborn  of  Egypt, 
Both  of  man  and  beast. 

9  Who  sent  tokens  and  wonders  into  the  midst  of  thee,  0 


Upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his  servants. 

10  Who  smote  great  nations, 
-  And  slew  mighty  kings  ; 

11  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites, 
And  Og  king  of  Bashan, 

And  all  the  kingdoms  of  Canaan: 

12  And  gave  their  land  for  an  heritage, 
An  heritage  unto  Israel  his  people. 

13  Thy  name,  0  LORD,  endureth  for  ever; 

And  thy  memorial,  0  LORD,  throughout  all  generations. 

14  For  the  LORD  will  judge  his  people, 

And  he  will  repent  himself  concerning  his  servants. 

15  The  idols  of  the  heathen  are  silver  and  gold, 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

16  They  have  mouths  —  but  they  speak  not; 
Eyes  have  they  —  but  they  see  not  ; 

17  They  have  ears  —  but  they  hear  not  ; 
Neither  is  there  any  breath  in  their  mouths. 

18  They  that  make  them  are  (or,  "shall  become")  like  unto 

them: 
So  is  every  one  that  trusteth  in  them. 

19  Bless  the  LORD,  0  house  of  Israel: 
Bless  the  LORD,  0  house  of  Aaron  : 

20  Bless  the  LORD,  0  house  of  Levi  : 

Ye  that  fear  the  LORD,  bless  the  LORD. 

21  Blessed  be  the  LORD  out  of  Zion, 
Which  dwelleth  at  Jerusalem. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

40   * 


470  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  CXXXVI. 

ft 

A  RESPONSIVE  song  in  praise  of  God,  the  God  of  gods  and  the 
Lord  of  lords,  who  has  established  the  monuments  of  his  miracles 
in  nature  and  in  the  history  of  Israel.  A  second  chorus  always 
repeats  the  final  clause,  "For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

GIVE  thanks  unto  the  LORD  ;  for  Tie  is  good ; 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

2  0  give  thanks  unto  the  God  of  gods : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

3  0  give  thanks  to  the  Lord  of  Lords : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

4  To  him  who  alone  doeth  great  wonders : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever, 

5  To  him  that  by  wisdom  made  the  heavens : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

6  To  him  that  stretched  out  the  earth  above  the  waters  : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

7  To  him  that  made  great  lights : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

8  The  sun  to  rule  by  day: 

For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

9  The  moon  and  stars  to  rule  by  night : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

1 0  To  him  that  smote  Egypt  in  their  firstborn : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

11  And  brought  out  Israel  from  among  them : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

12  With  a  strong  hand,  and  with  a  stretched  out  arm : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

13  To  him  which  divided  the  Red  Sea  into  parts: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever: 

14  And  made  Israel  to  pass  through  the  midst  of  it  : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

15  But  overthrew  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the  Red  Sea  : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

16  To  him  which  led  his  people  through  the  wilderness : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

IT  To  him  which  smote  great  kings : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 


PSALMS  cxxxvir.  471 


18  And  slew  famous  kings: 

For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

19  Sihon  king  of.  the  Amorites: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

20  And  Og  the  king  of  Bashan: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

21  And  gave  their  land  for  an  heritage: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

22  Even  an  heritage  unto  Israel  his  servant: 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

23  Who  remembered  us  in  our  low  estate : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever: 

24  And  hath  redeemed  us  from  our  enemies : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

25  Who  giveth  food  to  all  flesh : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

26  0  give  thanks  unto  the  God  of  heaven : 
For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 


PSALM   CXXXVII. 

A  PSALM  of  a  Levite,  a  master  in  song.  It  was  composed  soon 
after  the  return  from  the  captivity,  when  the  remembrance  of  its 
ignominy  was  still  fresh  in  the  mind  of  the  people. 

1  T)  Y  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  down, 
13  Yea,  we  wept,  when  we  remembered  Zion. 

2  We  hanged  our  harps  upon  the  Willows  in  the  midst  thereof. 
8  For  there  they  that  carried  us  away  captive  required  of 

us  a  song ; 

And  they  that  wasted  us  required  of  us  mirth, 
Saying,  "Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion." 

4  How  shall  we  sing  the  LORD'S  song 
In  a  strange  land? 

5  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem, 

Let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning. 

6  If  I  do  not  remember  thee, 

Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth ; 
If  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy. 


472  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

7  Remember,  0  LORD,  the  children  of  Edom 
In  the  day  of  Jerusalem; 

Who  said,  "Rase  it, 

Rase  'it,  even  to  the  foundation  thereof. " 

8  0  daughter  of  Babylon,  who  art  to  be  destroyed  (or, 

"thou  destroyer;") 

Happy  shall  he  be,  that  rewardeth  thee 
As  thou  hast  served  us. 

9  Happy  shall  he  be, 

That  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones  against  the  stones. 

V.  1.  The  foreign  land  was  rich  and  fascinating.*  Many  had 
yielded  to  its  fascination,  and  preferred  a  permanent  settlement  to 
the  granted  return  into  their  own  native  country.  But  withal  the 
hearts  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  people,  and  especially  of  the 
priests  and  Levites,  were  so  powerfully  attached  to  the  sanctuary 
and  the  city  of  God,  that  joy  was  a  stranger  to  them.  They  sat  by 
the  streams  of  the  richly  irrigated  land  and  shed  their  tears  into 
its  streams. 

F  2,  3.  The  Levites  had  carried  their  harps,  which  they  had 
so  frequently  strung  in  praise  of  the  Lord  in  the  temple,  as 
precious  memorials  of  happier  days,  into  the  land  of  their  exile. 
There  they  sat  by  the  water's  edge  in  the  shade  of  the  willow-tree, 
but  the  charm  of  the  scenery  was  unable  to  subdue  their  grief,  and 
they  hung  their  harps  on  the  willows.  The  heathen  seem  to  have 
heard  of  the  joyous  psalms  which  Israel  used  to  sing  to  the  Lord; 
they  may  have  occasionally  listened  to  them,  and  they  must  have 
been  sweet  to  their  ears.  As  Belshazzar  wished  for  the  vessels  of  the 
temple,  so  they  wished  for  its  holy  songs,  that  they  might  enjoy 
a  merry  hour.  If  they  had  been  able  to  practise  their  art  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  it  would  have  been  utterly  impossible  to 
them  to  sing  a  mirthful  psalm,")"  especially  before  the  originators 
of  their  tribulation. 

F.  4 — 6.  This  is  the  Psalmist's  courageous  reply  to  the  strange 
request.  They  wanted  them  to  sing  remote  from  the  place  to 
which  their  harps  and  songs  were  exclusively  devoted.  He  prizes 
his  fair  art,  but  he  would  rather  that  his  hand  should  forget  it  and 
his  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth,  than  that  the  thought 
of  Jerusalem  should  vanish  from  his  mind.  The  place  where  he 

*  Compare  the  description  which  the  Assyrian  gives  of  the  beauty  of  the 
land  to  which  he  intends  to  transplant  the  Jews;  he  probably  refers  to  the 
province  of  Babylon. — Isa.  xxxxvi.  17;  2  Kings  xviii.  32.  But  see  Hitzig. 

f  "As  he  that  taketh  away  a  garment  in  cold  weather,  and  as  vinegar 
upon  nitre,  so  is  he  that  singeth  songs  to  an  heavy  heart"  (or,  "singeth 
them  himself.")— Prov.  xxv.  20. 


PSALM  cxxxvnr.  473 

used  to  practise  it  lies  in  ruins;  Jerusalem  is  above  his  chief 
delights;  how  should  he  sing  songs  of  joy  within  sight  of  her 
ruins? 

K  7 — 9.  He  is  unable  to  retain  any  longer  his  intense  grief  for 
the  destroyed  city,  as  yet  lying  in  ruins;  it  breaks  forth  into  a  cry 
of  vengeance  against  the  Edomites,  who  in  the  day  when  Jerusa- 
lem fell  inflamed  the  destroyers  to  greater  fury,  and  against  Baby- 
lon, which  because  Cyrus  had  spared  it  stood  as  yet  undestroyed. 
He  imprecates  upon  their  guilty  heads  the  punitive  judgments 
which  had  already  been  foretold  by  the  prophets.  (Obad.  v.  8 — 16; 
Ezek.  xxv.  12,  13;  Jer.  xlix.  7.)  It  cannot  be  denied  that  the 
Psalmist's  language  like  that  of  Psalm  cix.  bears  the  stamp  of  pas- 
sion; but  we  should  remember  that,  according  to  the  barbarous 
usage  of  those  days,  the  slaughter  of  infants  belonged  to  the  prac- 
tice of  war,  when  a  fortress  had  been  carried  by  storm.  (2  Kings 
viii.  12;  Isa.  xiii.  16;  Nah.  iii.  10.)  At  a  much  later  period  we 
find  that  the  barbarity  of  the  Greeks  was  so  great,  that  according 
to  Athenseu?,  during  an  insurrection  the  mob  had  the  children  of 
the  rich  trampled  to  death  by  oxen,  and  that  when  the  aristocracy 
had  regained  their  power,  they  ordered  their  enemies  along  with 
their  wives  and  children  to  be  cast  into  the  flames.  We  owe  our 
more  civilized  usages  to  the  propagation  of  Gospel  sentiments, 
which,  though  they  have  not  yet  brought  about  the  abolition  of 
war,  have  nevertheless  by  their  genial  beams  lessened  the  dismal 
horror  of  its  night. 


PSALM  CXXXVIIL 

A  SONG  of  praise  full  of  exuberant  joy.  It  begins  with  praising 
God  for  past  deliverance,  (v.  1- — 3;)  rejoices  in  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  God  by  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  (v.  4 — 6;)  and  finally 
expresses  confidence  for  the  future,  (v.  7,  8.)  No  period  in  the 
history  of  David  furnishes  so  appropriate  an  occasion  for  the  com- 
position of  this  psalm,  as  that  of  the  death  of  Saul,  which  brought 
his  ten  years  of  affliction  to  an  end;  and  transferred  the  sceptre  into 
the  hand  of  the  fugitive. 


A 


PSALM  of  David, 


I  will  praise  thee  with  my  whole  heart : 
Before  the  gods  will  I  sing  praise  unto  thee. 
40* 


474  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

2  I  will  worship  toward  thy  holy  temple, 

And  praise  thy  name  for  thy  lovingkindness  and  for  thy 

truth  (" faithfulness:") 
For  thou  hast  magnified  thy  word  ("promise")  above  all 

thy  name. 

3  In  the  day  when  I  cried  thou  answeredst  me, 
And  strengthenedst  me  with  strength  in  my  soul. 

4  All  the  kings  of  the  earth  shall  praise  thee,  0  LORD, 
When  they  hear  the  words  of  thy  mouth. 

5  Yea,  they  shall  sing  in  the  ways  of  the  LORD  : 
For  great  is  the  glory  of  the  LORD. 

6  Though  the  LORD  be  high,  yet  hath"  he  respect  unto  the 

lowly : 
But  the  proud  he  knoweth  afar  off. 

7  Though  I  walk  in  the  midst  of  trouble,  thou  wilt  revive  me : 
Thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thine  hand  against  the  wrath  of 

mine  enemies, 
And  thy  right  hand  shall  save  me. 

8  The  LORD  will  perfect  that  which  concerneth  me  :* 
Thy  mercy,  0  LORD,  endureth  for  ever : 
Forsake  not  the  works  of  thine  own  hands. 

V.  1 — 3.  The  Psalmist's  praise  of  the  Lord  is  not  confined  to 
his  lips — it  flows  from  his  heart.  Assured  of  the  incomparable 
excellence  of  his  God,  he  extols  him  before  the  gods  which  are  the 
boast  of  the  heathen.  His  own  dwelling  is  insufficient  for  his  song 
—he  goes  to  the  temple  to  celebrate  the  glories  of  his  God  before 
the  assembled  multitude.  In  other  instances,  the  theme  of  the 
delivered  is,  that  God  has  again  verified  his  name,  but  in  the  pre- 
sent instance  the  overflowing  joy  of  the  Psalmist  leads  him  to  say, 
that  he  had  exceeded  the  hopes  he  entertained  of  his  name.  His 
soul  is  not  only  filled  with  joy  but  with  holy  strength.  He  derives 
that  strength  from  the  Lord  himself,  which  fact  renders  it  suffi- 
ciently evident  that  he  means  to  use  it  only  against  those  who 
rebel  against  the  Lord.  "  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  strength  to  the 
upright."  (Prov.  x.  29.) 

V-  4 — 6.  We  are  not  surprised  that  the  Psalmist,  overcome  by 
the  exuberance  of  his  joy,  should  call  upon  the  kings  (2  Sam.  v. 
11,  12;  viii.  11,)  of  the  earth  to  become  his  companions  in  praise. 
These  words  assume  the  Psalmist  to  be  a  person  of  distinction, 
whose  fate  would  attract  the  attention  of  foreign  princes :  so  it  is 
written  of  David;  "And  the  fame  of  David  went  out  into  all  lands : 
and  the  Lord  brought  the  fear  of  him  upon  all  nations."  (1  Chron. 

*  Or,  "The  Lord  will  bring  it  to  pass  for  my  sake." 


PSALM  CXXXIX.  475 

xiv.  17.)  His  most  illustrious  experience,  however,  was,  that  the 
high  exaltation  of  the  Lord  does  not  prevent  him  from  mercifully 
looking  down  upon  those  that  are  humbled  to  the  dust,  nor  from 
detecting  the  proud  afar  off. 

V.  7,  8.  He  explains  the  nature  of  his  hope  of  Divine 
deliverance.  He  anticipates  not,  as  do  the  carnally-minded,  that 
God  would  secure  him  against  every  arrow  of  adversity,  but  his 
hope  is  that  the  Lord,  if  it  be  his  pleasure,  would  resuscitate  him 
from  death  and  lead  him  out  of  darkness  into  light.  Confident 
that  he  has  to  ascribe  his  deliverance  to  Divine  mercy,  which 
mercy  moreover  has  its  foundation  in  the  unchangeable  Being  of 
God,  he  commits  himself  into  his  hands  for  the  future,  and 
believes  that  he  shall  experience  him  as  the  same  God  for  ever. 
(Phil.  i.  12.) 


PSALM   CXXXIX. 

A  MAJESTIC  psalm.  The  sacred  bard  begins  a  close  self-examina- 
tion with  the  thought  of  the  omniscience  of  God,  (v.  1 — 6,)  and 
seeks  to  trace  the  influence  of  the  omnipresence  of  God  on  an  evil 
conscience,  (v.  7-:-12.)  He  accounts  for  the  naturalness  of  such 
a  state  of  things  from  man's  entire  dependence  on  God,  (v.  13 — 18.) 
Overcome  by  the  strength  and  infinity  of  these  thoughts  he  pauses 
— confessing  before  the  omnipotent  and  omnipresent  God,  that  he 
has  no  fellowship  with  the  despisers  of  the  Lord,  and  that  he  strives 
to  walk  in  his  ways,  (v.  19 — 24.) 

the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

1  0  LORD,  thou  hast  searched  me,  and  known  me. 

2  Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and  mine  uprising, 
Thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off. 

3  Thou  winnowest  my  path  and  my  lying  down, 
And  art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways. 

4  For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue, 

But,  lo,  0  LORD,  thou  knowest  it  altogether. 

5  Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before, 
And  laid  thine  hand  upon  me. 

6  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me ; 
It  is  high,  I  cannot  attain  unto  it. 

7  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  spirit  ? 

Or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence  ? 


476  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

8  If  I  ascend  up  to  heaven,  thou  art  there: 

If  I  make  my  bed  in  Sheol,  behold,  thou  art  there: 

9  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning, 

And  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea; 

10  Even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me, 
And  thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me. 

11  If  I  say,  Surely  the  darkness  shall  cover  me; 
Even  the  night  shall  be  light  about  me : 

12  Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee  ;* 
But  the  night  shineth  as  the  day : 

The  darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  thee.^ 

13  For  thou  hast  prepared  my  reins : 

Thou  hast  covered  me  in  my  mother's  womb. 

14  I  will  praise  thee ;  for  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully 

made: 

Marvellous  are  thy  works ; 
And  that  my  soul  knoweth  right  well. 

15  My  body  was  not  hid  from  thee, 
When  I  was  made  in  secret, 

And  curiously  wrought  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the  earth. 

16  Thine  eyes  did  see  my  substance,  J  yet  being  imperfect; 
And  in  thy  book  all*  of  them  were  written, 

What  days  they  should  be  fashioned,  when  as  yet  there 
was  none  of  them. 

17  How  precious  (or,  "difficult")  also  are  thy  thoughts  unto 

me,  0  God! 
How  great  is  the  sum  of  them ! 

18  If  I  should  count  them, 

They  are  more  in  number  than  the  sand: 
When  I  awake,  I  am  still  with  thee. 

19  Surely  thou  wilt  slay  the  wicked,  0  God: 
Depart  from  me  therefore,  ye  bloody  men. 

20  For  they  speak  against  thee  wickedly, 
And  thine  enemies  take^Ay  name  in  vain. 

21  Do  not  I  hate  them,  0  LORD,  that  hate  thee  ? 

And  am  not  I  grieved  with  those  that  rise  up  against  thee  ? 

22  I  hate  them  with  perfect  hatred : 
I  count  them  mine  enemies. 

23  Search  me,  0  God,  and  know  my  heart: 
Try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts : 

*  Or,  "Darkness  darkeneth  not  before  thee," 
t  Or,  "Darkness  is  as  the  light." 
j  "  My  embryo.'1 


PSALM   CXXXIX.  477 

24  And  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me, 
And  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting. 

V.  1 — 6.  The  thought  of  the  omniscience  of  God  ought  in 
every  prayer  to  purify  our  souls,  while  that  of  his  omnipresence  ought 
to  sanctify  it.  These  thoughts  stand  in  more  prominent  relief 
when  a  man  like  David  seeks  to  fathom  his  heart  before  the  Lord. 
Whatsoever  happens  to  man,  when  he  is  awake  or  asleep,  his 
thoughts  ere  they  are  born,  his  words  ere  they  are  formed  on  his 
tongue,  are  known  to  God;  he  is  round  about  all  his  creatures; 
man  is  no  more  able  to  withdraw  himself  from  the  presence  of  God, 
than  he  is  to  visit  a  place  where  the  heavens  are  not  over  him. 
This  thought  suggests  to  his  mind  the  omnipresence  of  God.  Who 
is  there  to  grasp  and  fathom  that  Spirit  who  thus  grasps  and 
fathoms  ours? 

F  7 — 12.  When  the  guilty  get  conscious  of  the  omniscience 
of  God,  their  terrified  conscience  suggests  to  them,  as  it  did  to 
Cain,  flight.  But  flight  is  vain.  Neither  height  nor  depth,  neither 
the  east  nor  the  west,  are  remote  from  God.  His  discerning  spirit, 
his  countenance,  and  his  right  hand,  are  co-extensive  with  space, 
to  seize  the  guilty  fugitive.  Ascend  to  heaven  or  descend  to  Sheol, 
(Amos  ix.  2,)  travel  on  the  wings  of  the  dawn,  (Mai.  iii.  20,) 
whose  rosy  hue  is  in  a  moment  scattered  from  the  east  to  the  west, 
.  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Space  can  nowhere  hide  the  guilty.  He 
desires  to  be  covered  with  darkness;  but  to  the  light  of  the  Divine 
eye  the  night  is  light  and  shines  as  the  day.  Although  these 
revelations  of  the  Being  of  God  by  the  Psalmist  set  forth  truths 
which  are  universally  acknowledged,  yet  is  it  by  no  means  an  easy 
thing  to  have  our  souls  so  thoroughly  imbued  with  them,  and  to 
express  them  after  the  forcible  manner  of  David.  Else  how  could 
it  happen  that  thoughts  like  these,  which  are  sufficient  to  rouse 
the  profoundest  sleeper,  are  acknowledged  as  truths  by  thousands, 
and  yet  exert  so  little  influence  upon  their  lives? 

F.  13 — 15.  Who  can  have  a  truer  and  more  intimate  know- 
ledge of  man  than  man's  Maker?  He  knows  us  better  than  we 
know  ourselves ;  we  cannot  hide  our  inner  man  from  him.  How 
marvellously  has  he  made  us  I  In  the  womb  he  prepared  our  bodies 
and  reins,  i.  e.  the  seat  of  the  feelings  which  communicate  to  us 
the  voice  of  God.  (See  ad.  Psalm  xvi.  7.)  There  is  at  first  sight 
something  strange  in  the  expression  of  verse  15,  that  the  body  was 
curiously  wrought  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the  earth,  but  this  is  only 
said  by  way  of  comparison.  Job  furnishes  the  counterpart  to  it  by 
saying,  "  Naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I 
return  thither."  (Job  i.  21.)  The  embryo  is  asleep  in  the  womb 
as  are  the  dead  in  the  grave;  it  waits  for  the  light  of  this  world  as 


478  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

they  do  for  that  of  the  next.  This  comparison  of  the  womb  and 
the  grave  is  very  beautiful,  since  it  points  to  the  grave  as  the  birth- 
place of  the  resurrection-life. 

F.  16.  God  who  gave  him  existence  saw  from  the  beginning 
his  entire  development  to  the  end,  and  only  in  seeing  it  before- 
hand he  gave  him  existence,  retaining  as  the  Creator  his  power 
over  the  creature.  The  Psalmist  says,  "In  thy  book  all  the  days 
were  written."  This  is  an  expression  borrowed  from  human  habits : 
men  write  down  their  thoughts  when  they  wish  to  remember  things, 
(Mai.  iii.  16;  Ps.  Ivi.  9,)  or  plan  a  scheme.  In  applying  this  lan- 
guage to  God,  he  intends  thereby  to  denote  the  certainty  and 
unchangeableness  of  the  knowledge  of  God. 

F.  17,  18.  The  Psalmist  once  more  (cf.  v.  6)  bursts  forth  into 
devout  astonishment;  he  contrasts  himself— so  entirely  dependent 
on  God — with  the  Almighty,  and  feels  his  inability  of  continuing 
the  thought  of  the  designs  of  God  respecting  man  any  further. 
He  sinks  into  a  profound  meditation,  but  on  coming  to  himself,* 
finds  that  he  has  by  no  means  finished  thinking. 

F.  19 — 22.  He  pauses  and  completely  overwhelmed  with  feel- 
ings of  adoration  towards  so  marvellous  a  God,  indignantly  sepa- 
rates himself  from  the  fellowship  of  those  who  sin  against  him.f 
He  is  conscious  that  love  to  God  is  sincere  in  proportion  to  our 
hating  those  who  have  fallen  to  so  low  a  state  that  they  are  actually 
capable  of  hating  God.  This  passage  explains  the  hatred  of  the 
Psalmists  towards  their  enemies :  they  are  their  enemies  because 
they  are  the  enemies  of  God. 

V.  23,  24.  Looking  up  to  the  Omniscient,  he  finishes  his  self- 
examination.  He  possesses  the  consciousness  of  his  ability  to  stand 
before  the  Lord,  and  knows  that  the  path  which  deviates  from 
God's  is  the  path  of  misery.  (Ps.  xxxii.  10;  xxxiv.  22;  xvi.  4.) 
He  feels,  however,  that  the  grace  of  God  alone  can  keep  him  in  his 
happy  frame  of  mind,  and  sustain  him  in  his  hatred  of  everything 
that  is  opposed  to  God,  and  therefore  superadds  to  his  confession 
the  prayer  that  the  Lord  would  graciously  keep  him  in  the  narrow 
way  which  is  eternal;  while  it  is  said  of  the  way  of  the  ungodly 
that  it  shall  perish.  (Ps.  i.  6.) 

^  *  If  the  interpretation  of  Geier  and  most  commentators  be  preferred, 
viz. — "  Meditantem  somnus  obruit,  evigilantem  mox  tui  meditatio  subit," 
cf.  Ps.  Ixiii.  7. 

f  "  The  Psalmist  is  so  overcome  by  the  infinite  glory  of  the  state  of  mind 
to  which  he  has  risen,  and  with  which  he  would  not  part  on  any  considera- 
tion, that  his  overflowing  and  melting  heart  is  at  that  moment  only  capable 
of  regarding  opposition  from  without  with  abhorrence."— Ewald. 


PSALM   CXL.  479 


PSALM  CXL. 

A  PSALM  of  David,  similaj"  in  matter  to  those  which  he  composed 
during  the  persecution  of  Saul.    Cf.  Psalms  xxxv.  liv.  Ivi.  Ivii.  Ixiv. 


.T 


0  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


2  Deliver  me,  0  LORD,  from  the  evil  man : 
Preserve  me  from  the  violent  man ; 

3  "Which  imagine  mischiefs  in  their  heart ; 
Continually  are  they  gathered  together  for  war. 

4  They  have  sharpened  their  tongues  like  a  serpent ; 
Adders'  poison  is  under  their  lips.     Selah. 

5  Keep  me,  0  LORD,  from  the  hands  of  the  wicked ; 
Preserve  me  from  the  violent  man; 

Who  have  purposed  to  overthrow  my  goings ; 

6  The  proud  have  hid  a  snare  from  me,  and  cords ; 
They  have  spread  a  net  by  the  wayside; 

They  have  set  gins  for  me.     Selah. 

7  But  I  say  unto  the  LORD,  "Thou  art  my  God: 
Hear  the  voice  of  my  supplications,  0  LORD. 

8  0  GOD  the  Lord,  the  strength  of  my  salvation, 
Thou  hast  covered  my  head  in  the  day  of  battle. 

9  Grant  not,  0  LORD,  the  desires  of  the  wicked : 
Further  not  his  wicked  device ; 

Lest  they  exalt  themselves.     Selah. 

10  On  the  head  of  those  that  compass  me  about, 
Let  the  mischief  of  their  own  lips  fall. 

11  Let  burning  coals  fall  upon  them : 
Let  them  be  cast  into  the  fire"; 

Into  deep  pits,  that  they  rise  not  up  again. 

12  An  evil  speaker  shall  not  be  established  in  the  earth: 
Evil  shall  hunt  the  violent  man  to  overthrow  him. 

13  I  know  that  the  LORD  will  maintain  the  cause  of  the 

afflicted, 
And  the  right  of  the  poor. 

14  Surely  the  righteous  shall  give  thanks  unto  thy  name : 
The  upright  shall  dwell  in  thy  presence. 


480  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 


PSALM  CXLL 

THIS  psalm  contains  several  passages  the  interpretation  of  which 
is  perhaps  more  doubtful  than  those  of  any  other  psalm,  and  accord- 
ingly, contrary  views  as  to  its  contents  are  likely  to  arise.  Our 
translation,  which  is  close  to  the  original,  points  immediately  to 
the  memorable  escape  which  David  granted  to  Saul  in  the  cave  at 
Engedi.  (1  Sam.  xxiv.)  It  is  singular  enough  that  this  psalm, 
like5  David's  earlier  ones,  has  the  peculiarity  of  the  alternation  in 
the  singular  and  plural  numbers.  (See  ad.  Ps.  xi.)  It  should  not 
be  overlooked  that  Psalarn  cxlii.  falls  into  the  same  period. 

David  has  escaped  from  peril  of  life,  and  so  magnanimously  con- 
quered the  great  temptation  of  his  heart  to  requite  evil  with  evil, 
that  even  Saul  could  not  withhold  his  admiration,  (1  Sam.  xxiv. 
18 — 20;)  but  he  is  still  exposed  to  danger  as  before,  nor  knows 
himself  secure  against  temptation ;  he  lifts  therefore  his  hands  in 
prayer,  assuring  himself  of  the  gratefulness  of  his  prayer  to  God, 
(v.  1,  2.)  Conscious  of  his  inclination  to  requite  evil  with  evil, 
he  prays  for  strength  to  persevere  in  innocence  in  word  and  deed, 
(v.  3,  4.)  He  states  as  a  proof  of  his  sincerity,  that  he  regards  the 
sufferings  to  which  he  is  exposed  as  the  righteous  visitations  of 
God,  and  has  on  that  account  no  ill  feeling  towards  his  enemy, 
v.  5,  6.)  He  now  courageously  implores  speedy  deliverance  from 
"  ie  fierce  persecution,  (v.  7 — 10.) 


th 


A   PSALM  of  David. 

A 

1  LOBD,  I  cry  unto  thee :  make  haste  unto  me : 
Give  ear  unto  my  voice,  when  I  cry  unto  thee. 

2  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  before  thee  as  incense ; 
And  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the  evening  sacrifice. 

3  Set  a  watch,  0  LORD,  before  my  mouth ; 
Keep  the  door  of  my  lips. 

4  Incline  not  my  heart  to  any  evil  thing, 

To  practise  wicked  works  with  men  that  work  iniquity : 
And  let  me  not  eat  of  their  dainties. 

5  Let  the  righteous  smite  me, — it  shall  be  a  kindness : 
And  let  Him  reprove  me, — it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil, 

which  shall  no.t  break  my  head : 
For  yet  my  prayer  also  shall  be  in  their  evil  doings.* 

*  /.  e.  Though  they  continue  in  evil  doings,  "I  will  pray."  The  linguistic 
justification  of  this  rendering  is  based  on  Zech.  viii.  20;  Prov.  xxiv.  27. — 
Ewald,  §  619. 


PSALM   CXLI.  481 

6  When  their  judges*  were  set  free  in  rocky  places, 
They  heard  my  words ;  for  they  were  sweet. 

7  Our  bones  are  scattered  at  the  mouth  of  Sheol, 

As  when  one  ploughqth  the  land  and  draweth  furrows  in  it. 

8  But  mine  eyes  are  unto  thee,  0  GOD  the  LORD  : 
In  thee  is  my  trust ;  leave  not  my  soul  destitute. 

9  Keep  me  from  the  snares  which  they  have  laid  for  me, 
And  the  gins  of  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

10  Let  the  wicked  fall  into  their  own  nets, 
Whilst  that  I  withal  escape. f 

V.  1,  2.  David  intimates  by  these  expressions,  that  sacrifices, 
especially  those  of  incense,  with  their  fragrant  odours,  were  symbol- 
ical prayers  offered  to  the  Lord.  He  compares,  (Exod.  xxx.  7; 
1  Kings  xviii.  29;  2  Kings  xvi.  15;  Mai.  i.  11,)  therefore,  his 
prayer  to  the  burning  of  incense,  and  to  the  meat-offering.  The 
former  was  offered  every  morning  and  evening,  the  latter  in  the 
evening  only.  He  hopes  that  it  might  be  as  grateful  to  God  as 
fragrant  incense. 

F.  3,  4.  Those  who  know  the  manly  heart  of  the  heroic  David 
will  readily  understand  the  great  temptation  to  which  he  was  exposed, 
of  failing  in  his  duty  towards  a  persecutor  such  as  Saul,  if  not  by 
active  exertions,  at  least  by  unguarded  language :  but  he  conquered 
his  stout  heart.  He  was  one  of  those  heroes  of  whom  Solomon 
says,  "He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty;  and  he 
that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that  taketh  a  city."  (Prov.  xvi.  32.) 
This  demands  no  less  our  admiration  than  his  humble  self-knowledge, 
which  prompts  him  to  pray  for  further  grace  from  heaven,  to  be 
kept  from  unguarded  speech,  and  from  sinking  to  the  level  of  the 
wicked. 

F.  5,  6.  David  humbly  regards  his  troubles  as  Divine  correctives, 
although  they  were  occasioned  by  his  enemies.  (Cf.  ad.  Ps.  xxxviii. 
2 — 6.)  In  the  disastrous  day  of  his  exit  from  Jerusalem,  he  could 
reply  to  the  deriding  language  of  Shimei,  "Let  him  curse,  because 
the  Lord  hath  said  unto  him,  curse  David."  (2  Sam.  xvi.  11.) 
The  verses  under  consideration  testify  no  less  of  his  faith  in  the 
providence  of  God  than  of  his  deep  sense  of  guilt,  which  enabled 
him  to  discern  in  all  his  visitations  the  paternal  hand  of  love.  (Heb. 
xii.  7.)  The  Righteous  of  verse  5,  is  God  himself. J  The  reason 

*  It  militates  against  the  rendering  of  Luther,  "They  were  thrown"  over 
at  or  into  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  (Ewald,  2di  edit.,)  which  has  been  adopted 
by  modern  interpreters,  that  the  most  natural  rendering  of  ^"a  would  be 
"from  the  rock." 

JOr,  "Let  the  wicked  fall  into  their  own  nets  together,  whilst  I  escape." 
This  view,  which  was  already  propounded  by  so  early  a  writer  as  Amy- 
raldus,  has  recently,  and,  as  it  seems,  independently,  been  advocated  by 
41 


482  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

of  David's  making  this  confession  is,  that  there  is  nothing  more 
calculated  to  quench  personal  vindictiveness  towards  our  enemies, 
than  to  regard  them  as  instruments  in  the  hands  of  God.  David 
adopted  that  course  with  reference  to  the  abuses  of  Shimei,  and 
was  able  to  persevere  in  prayer  under  the  abuse  of  Saul.  (Ps. 
zxxv.  13 ;  cix.  4.)  It  was  this  which  enabled  him  to  display  that 
magnanimous  act  to  which  he  refers  in  verse  6;  he  refers  not  only 
to  the  act,  but  also  to  his  words  which  accompanied  it.  They  are 
preserved  1  Sam.  xxiv.  12 — 16,  and  bear  so  powerful  an  impress 
of  passionless  tranquillity  that  even  Saul  exclaimed,  "  Thou  art 
more  righteous  than  I!" 

V.  7 — 10.  He  now  bewails  his  misery  and  prays  for  deliverance. 
In  Psalm  xxii.  15,  he  said  that  his  bones  were  sundered.  In  the 
same  manner  he  says  in  this  place  of  himself  and  his  associates, 
that  their  bodies  are  torn  as  ploughed  and  furrowed  land,  that  their 
bones  are  scattered  and  their  life  brought  to  the  borders  of  death. 
Gins  and  snares  are  repeatedly  set  for  them.  But  the  tried  servant 
of  God  has  sufficiently  experienced  that  his  God  "taketh  the  wise 
in  their  own  craftiness:  and  the  counsel  of  the  froward  is  carried 
headlong."  (Job  v.  13.)  The  last  clause  of  his  prayer  is  bright- 
ened by  hope. 


PSALM  CXLII. 

THE  occasion  of  this  psalm  of  complaint  has  been  stated  ad.  Psalm  Ivii. 

JAN  Instruction  of  David ;  a  Prayer  when  he  was  in 
li.       the  cave. 

2  I  cried  unto  the  LORD  with  my  voice ; 

With  my  voice  unto  the  LORD  did  I  make  my  supplication. 

3  I  poured  out  my  complaint  before  him ; 
I  showed  before  him  my  trouble. 

4  When  my  spirit  was  overwhelmed  within  me, 
Then  thou  knewest  my  path. 

In  the  way  wherein  I  walked 

Have  they  privily  laid  a  snare  for  me. 

5  I  look  on  my  right  hand,  and  see, 

But  there  is  no  man  that  will  know  me. 

Refuge  faileth  me ; 

No  man  careth  for  my  soul. 

Maurer  with  reference  to  Isaiah  xxiv.  16.     The  absence  of  the  article 
iefore  p^  is  no  objection  in  a  poetical  composition.     If  "the  righteous" 
be  regarded  as  a  man,  cf.  Prov.  xxvii.  6;  Eccl.  vii.  5. 


PSALM  CXLIII.  483 

6  I  cried  unto  thee,  0  LORD  : 
I  said,  thou  art  my  refuge 

And  my  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

7  Attend  unto  my  cry ;  for  I  am  brought  very  low : 
Deliver  me  from  my  persecutors; 

For  they  are  stronger  than  I. 

8  Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison, 
That  I  may  praise  thy  name : 

The  righteous  shall  compass  me  about, 
When  thou  shalt  deal  bountifully  with  me. 

V.  2,  3.  Peril  so  evident  and  imminent  as  that  in  which  we 
find  David,  is  sufficient  to  check  the  courage  and  destroy  the  faith 
of  many  an  experienced  Christian;  to  such  an  extent  that  he  shall 
be  at  a  loss  to  ease  himself  of  his  grief  by  prayer.  But  David 
enjoys  perfect  composure  of  mind,  and  unbosoms  his  cares  before 
the  Lord. 

V.  4 — 6.  He  contrasts  his  limited  vision  with  the  unlimited 
vision  of  God,  who  not  only  sees  the  path  when  it  is  lost  to  man, 
(Ps.  i.  6,)  but  knows  a  way  of  escape  from  the  midst  of  death.  (Ps. 
Ixviii.  21.)  This  thought  composes  his  soul  in  circumstances  which, 
were  he  to  be  guided  by  his  own  observations,  would  certainly 
make  him  fall  a  prey  to  despondency,  for  he  sees  himself  com- 
pletely surrounded  by  nets  and  snares.  He  looks  in  vain  to  his 
right  for  a  human  defender.  (See  ad.  Ps.  cxxi.  5.)  There  were, 
indeed,  his  attendant  warriors,  but  even  if  they  had  been  courage- 
ous and  powerful  enough  to  try  their  strength  against  that  of  Saul, 
it  was  not  David's  intention  to  settle  his  contest  with  the  king  in  a 
sanguinary  manner.  He  clings  entirely  to  the  Lord,  whom  he 
calls  his  refuge  and  his  very  own  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living, 
i.  e.  on  earth. 

V.  7,  8.  Almost  overwhelmed  by  his  desperate  position,  he 
cries  anew  for  help.  Yet  even  in  extreme  peril  like  this,  David 
can  remember  that  the  faith  of  the  small  band  of  believers  is  allied 
to  his  destiny.  He  prays,  therefore,  for  his  own  deliverance,  also 
for  their  sakes,  and  with  a  view  to  an  increase  of  their  faith. 


PSALM  CXLIII. 

THE  Psalmist  struggles  in  a  state  of  deep  depression  previous  to 
offering  his  prayer  to  attain  the  mastery  over  the  consciousness  of 
his  guilt,  which  rises  like  a  separating  wall  between  God  and  him- 


484  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

self,  (v.  1 — 3,)  but  derives  strength  from  remembering  the  former 
manifestation  of  Divine  mercy,  (v.  4 — 6.)  He  prays  now  for  deliv- 
erance, (v.  7 — 9,)  and  for  grace  to  be  preserved  from  transgres- 
sions, to  which  frail  man  is  so  liable  in  great  trouble,  (v.  10 — 12.) 

\  PSALM  of  David. 

A 

1  Hear  my  prayer,  0  LORD, 
Give  ear  to  my  supplications : 

"    In  thy  faithfulness  answer  me,  and  in  thy  righteousness. 

2  And  enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant : 
For  in  thy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justified. 

3  For  the  enemy  hath  persecuted  my  soul ; 

He  hath  smitten  my  life  down  to  the  ground; 
He  hath  made  me  to  dwell  in  darkness, 
As  those  that  have  long  been  dead. 

4  Therefore  is  my  spirit  overwhelmed  within  me ; 
My  heart  within  me  is  desolate. 

5  I  remember  the  days  of  old ; 
I  meditate  on  all  thy  works ; 

I  muse  on  the  work  of  thy  hands. 

6  I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto  thee : 

My  soul  thirsteth  after  thee,  as  a  thirsty  land.     Selah. 

7  Hear  me  speedily,  0  LORD  : 
My  spirit  faileth : 

Hide  not  thy  face  from  me, 

Lest  I  be  like  unto  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit. 

8  Cause  me  to  hear  thy  lovingkindness  in  the  morning ; 
For  in  thee  do  I  trust : 

Cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I  should  walk  : 
For  I  lift  up  my  soul  unto  thee.* 

9  Deliver  me,  0  LORD,  from  mine  enemies : 
I  flee  unto  thee  to  hide  me. 

10  Teach  me  to  do  thy  will ; 
For  thou  art  my  God : 

Thy  spirit  is  good;  lead  me  into  the  land  of  uprightness,  f 

11  Quicken  me  0  LORD,  for  thy  name's  sake: 

10  ^Orithy  righteousness'  sake  bring  my  soul  out  of  trouble, 

12  And  of  thy  mercy  cut  off  mine  enemies, 
And  destroy  all  them  that  afflict  my  soul  : 
For  I  am  thy  servant. 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "For  I  disclose  my  soul  to  thee." 
1 1-  e.  "Uprightness,"  i.  e.  "straight,  even." 


PSALM   CXLIII.  485 

*  V.  1 — 3.  The  faithfulness  of  God  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  pro- 
mises and  his  righteousness  (which  term  in  the  Old  Testament 
includes  also  his  mercy,  see  ad.  Psalm  v.  9,)  are  the  two  Divine 
attributes  on  the  exercise  of  which  the  granting  of  our  prayers 
depends.  Who  would  expect  it  from  that  righteousness  which 
rewards  man  according  to  his  deserts?  since  even  those  who  call 
themselves  the  servants  of  God  (v.  12)  are  at  best  unprofitable  ser- 
vants? David  knows  this,  and  strives  from  the  outset  for  the 
attainment  of  childlike  confidence  and  the  consciousness  of  pardon, 
(Psalm  Ixv.  4;)  for  all  our  righteousness  is  like  a  filthy  rag  when 
looked  at  in  the  light  of  Divine  purity.  (Isaiah  Ixiv.  6.)  The 
apostle  confirms  the  same  truth.  (Rom.  Hi.  20.)  So  Job  confessed, 
"I  know  it  so  of  a  truth :  but  how  should  man  be  just  with  God? 
If  he  will  contend  with  him,  he  cannot  answer  him  one  of  a  thou- 
sand." (Job  ix.  2,  3.) 

V.  4 — 6.  We  know  that  the  heart  of  David  was  not  stoically 
unfeeling  in  its  struggles;  he  was  a  man,  and  had  human  passions. 
He  was  not  ashamed  to  confess  his  depression.  He  did  not  give 
way  to  it,  however,  without  resistance,  and  anxiously  looked  for 
the  means  to  attain  to  a  mastery  over  himself,  and  grasped  that  glo- 
rious weapon  of  defence  which  is  furnished  by  the  meditation  of  the 
former  works  of  God  in  the  guidance  and  deliverance  of  his  people. 
(Ps.  xxii.  4,  5.)  To  this  means  he  joined  prayer,  and  he  did  pray 
indeed.  His  soul  was  looking  out  for  God,  as  land  parched  and 
burst  by  the  drought  of  summer  waits  as  it  were  with  open  mouth 
for  the  blessing  of  rain. 

V.  7 — 9,  He  prays  like  one  who  is  experienced  and  tried  in 
the  school  of  prayer.  By  asking  God  to  show  him  the  way  where- 
in he  should  walk,  he  intimates  his  conviction,  that  no  human 
power  could  point  out  the  way  of  escape  out  of  the  net  of  affliction, 
wherein  he  lies  a  captive.  On  that  account  he  has  not  put  his 
trust  in  man.  For  why  should  he  confide  in  those,  who  if  willing, 
have  not  the  ability  to  deliver?  The  useless  expression  of  our 
grief  to  man  breaks  the  strength  of  the  soul.  David  trusts  only  in 
his  God,  and  to  him  he  discloses  his  grief. 

V.  10 — 12.  Heavy  affliction  blinds  our  eyes,  and  renders  us 
liable  to  have  recourse  to  wrong  means,  and  to  stumble,  and  espe- 
cially to  forfeit  Divine  favour  by  our  impatient  murmurings.  The 
Psalmist  prays  for  the  guidance  of  the  good  Spirit  (Neh.  ix.  20) 
of  God  along  with  outward  assistance.  In  the  measure  as  we  lose 
the  sense  of  our  strength  in  seasons  of  adversity,  we  derive  com- 
fort from  the  belief  that  there  is  a  power  without  and  above  us, 
which  will  come  to  the  aid  of  those  who  themselves  are  poor  and 
helpless.  (2  Cor.  xii.  9.)  The  Psalmist's  soul  is  deeply  humbled 
and  prostrated;  he  prays  for  deliverance  for  God's  mercy  and 
righteousness'  (see  ad.  Psalm  v.  9)  sake,  and  flees  in  his  utter  help- 
41* 


486  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  PSALMS. 

lessness  to  the  Lord  his  refuge — like  a  servant  who  has  no  means 
of  defence  of  his  own,  but  is  obliged  to  look  to  his  master  for 
weapon  and  protection.  (Psalm  cxvi.  16.) 


PSALM  CXLIV. 

THIS  psalm  is  called  a  psalm  of  David,  because  it  consists  for  the 
most  part  of  Davidic  sentences,  (verses  1,  2,  3.  5,  6,  7.  9.}  Also 
verses  12 — 15  are  probably  derived  from  some  composition  of 
David.*  The  last  mentioned  verses  suggest  the  view  that  this 
psalm  was  composed  for  the  comfort  of  the  people,  and  that  the 
people  are  speaking  in  it.  The  manner  in  which  the  name  of 
David  is  mentioned  in  verse  10,  shows  that  the  entire  authorship 
does  not  belong  to  him. 

The  Psalmist  having  trustfully  praised  the  Lord  as  his  rock, 
(v.  1,  2,)  points  to  the  indigence  of  helpless  man,  (v.  3,  4,)  and 
prays  for  deliverance,  (v.  5 — 8.)  He  repeats  his  prayer,  (v.  9 — 11,) 
and  implores  the  return  of  the  prosperity  which  was  formerly 
enjoyed  by  the  kingdom  of  David,  (v.  12 — 14,)  and  concludes  with 
a  blessing  on  the  people,  (v.  15.) 

A   PSALM  of  David. 

A 

1  Blessed  be  the  LORD,  my  rock, 
Which  teacheth  my  hands  to  war? 
And  my  fingers  to  fight : 

2  My  goodness,  and  my  fortress; 
My  high  tower,  and  my  deliverer ; 
My  shield,  and  he  in  whom  I  trust; 
Who  subdueth  my  people  under  me. 

3  LORD,  what  is  man,  that  thou  takest  knowledge  of  him ! 
Or  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  makest  account  of  him ! 

4  Man  is  like  to  nothing ; 

His  days  are  as  a  shadow  that  passeth  away. 

5  Bow  thy  heavens,  0  LORD,  and  come  down: 
Touch  the  mountains,  and  they  shall  smoke* 

6  Cast  forth  lightning,  and  scatter  them : 
Shoot  out  thine  arrows,  and  destroy  them. 

*  This  appears  from  the  crowded  character  of  the  language  and  the  stiff 
connection  with  &  verse  12. 


PSALM  CXLV.  487 

7  Send  thine  hand  from  above ; 

Rid  me,  and  deliver  me  out  of  great  waters, 
From  the  hand  of  strange  children ; 

8  Whose  mouth  speaketh  vanity, 

And  their  right  hand  is  a  right  hand  of  falsehood.* 

9  I  will  sing  a  new  song  unto  thee,  0  God: 

Upon  a  psaltry  and  an  instrument  of  ten  strings  will  I 
sing  praises  unto  thee. 

10  It  is  he  that  giveth  victory  unto  kings : 

Who  delivereth  David  his  servant  from  the  hurtful  sword. 

11  Rid  me,  and  deliver  me  from  the  hand  of  strange  children, 
Whose  mouth  speaketh  vanity, 

And  their  right  hand  is  a  right  hand  of  falsehood : 

12  That  our  sons  may  be  as  plants 
Grown  up  in  their  youth ; 

That  our  daughters  may  be  as  corner  columns, 
Cut  like  those  of  palaces ; 

13  That  our  garners  may  be  full, 
Affording  all  manner  of  store : 

That  our  sheep  may  bring  forth  thousands 
And  ten  thousands  in  our  pastures. 

14  That  our  oxen  may  be  strong  to  labour : 
That  there  be  no  breaking  in,  nor  going  out;t 
That  there  be  no  complaining  in  our  streets. 

15  Happy  is  that  people,  that  is  in  such  a  case : 

Yea,  happy  is  that  people,  whose  God  is  the  LORD. 


PSALM  CXLV. 

AN  easy-flowing  song  of  praise.  It  is  the  effusion  of  a  grateful 
heart.  Verses  1 — 7  denote  the  strong  impulse  of  the  Psalmist  to 
engage  in  the  praise  of  the  Lord.  Verses  8 — 13  praise  the  mercy 
and  goodness  as  well  as  the  glory  of  the  government  of  God, 
(v.  14 — 20,)  his  mercy  to  the  afflicted  and  his  real  children,  and 
to  a  certain  extent  to  every  living  thing.  Verse  21  reverts  to  the 
thought  of  verses  1,  2.  The  Jews  remark  on  this  psalm,  which  is 
indeed  tfie  "Our  Father"  of  every  grateful  heart,  "that  he  is  a 

*  Tholuck  renders,  "  And  their  oaths  are  perjuries." 

f  Tholuck  renders,  "That  our  princes  may  be  established,  that  there  be 
no  breaking  in  of  war,  nor  going  out  to  war,  that  there  be  no  shouting  in 
our  streets." 


488  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

son  of  the  world  to  come,  who  is  able  to  pray  this  psalm  three  times 
a  day  from  his  heart." 

A    PSALM  of  Praise  of  David. 

1  1  will  extol  thee,  my  God,  0  King; 

And  I  will  bless  thy  name  for  ever  and  ever. 

2  Every  day  will  I  bless  thee ; 

And  I  will  praise  thy  name  for  ever  and  ever. 

3  Great  is  the  LORD,  and  greatly  to  be  praised; 
And  his  greatness  is  unsearchable. 

4  One  generation  shall  praise  thy  works  to  another, 
And  shall  declare  thy  mighty  acts. 

5  I  will  speak  of  the  glorious  honour  of  thy  majesty, 
And  of  thy  wondrous  works. 

6  And  men  shall  speak  of  the  might  of  thy  terrible  acts : 
And  I  will  declare  thy  greatness. 

7  They  shall  abundantly  utter  the  memory  of  thy  great 

goodness, 
And  shall  sing  of  thy  righteousness. 

8  The  LORD  is  gracious,  and  full  of  compassion ; 
Slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  mercy. 

9  The  LORD  is  good  to  all: 

And  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works. 

10  All  thy  works  shall  praise  thee,  0  LORD  ; 
And  thy  saints  shall  bless  thee. 

11  They  shall  speak  of  the  glory  of  thy  kingdom, 
And  talk  of  thy  power; 

12  To  make  known  to  the  sons  of  men  his  mighty  acts, 
And  the  glorious  majesty  of  his  kingdom. 

13  Thy  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom, 

And  thy  dominion  endureth  throughout  all  generations. 

14  The  LORD  upholdeth  all  that  fall, 

And  raised  up  all  those  that  be  bowed  down. 

15  The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon  thee ; 

And  thou  givest  them  their  meat  in  due  season. 

16  Thou  openest  thine  hand, 

And  fillest  every  living  thing  with  mercy. 

17  The  LORD  is  righteous  in  all  his  ways, 
And  holy  in  all  his  works. 

18  The  LORD  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  him, 
To  all  that  call  upon  him  in  truth. 


PSALM   CXLV.  489 

19  He  will  fulfil  the  desire  of  them  that  fear  him: 
He  also  will  hear  their  cry  and  will  save  them. 

20  The  LORD  preserveth  all  them  that  love  him: 
But  all  the  wicked  will  he  destroy. 

21  My  mouth  shall  speak  the  praise  of  the  LORD  : 

And  let  all  flesh  bless  his  holy  name  for  ever  and  ever. 

F.  1,  2.  The  Psalmist,  profoundly  conscious  that  the  Lord  is 
infinitely  worthy  to  receive  the  praise  of  men,  states  his  resolution 
to  praise  and  extol  him,  not  in  a  transient  manner  only,  but  every 
day  of  his  life. 

F.  8,  4.  Human  virtue  and  greatness  have  their  limits,  where 
spots  appear  and  poverty  begins;  but  the  greatness  of  God  is 
unsearchable  and  inexpressible.  Human  glory  has  its  limits  even 
in  time  (i.  e.  the  present  life,)  and  frequently  reaches  not  to  the 
succeeding  generation,  but  the  glory  of  God  endures  throughout  all 
generations. 

F.  5 — 7.  The  Psalmist  resolves  to  make  the  majesty  of  God 
and  his  wondrous  works  which  outreach  the  stretch  of  human 
thought,  the  themes  of  his  songs  of  praise.  He  contemplates 
thereby  not  only  his  own  gratification  (for  peace  is  the  blessed  con- 
sequence of  praise,)  but  that  of  others,  and  determines  to  invite 
them  that  they  might  all  join  in  his  praise. 

F.  8,  9.  It  is  his  desire  to  testify  of  the  majesty  of  God,  but 
speaks  of  his  gracey  longsuffering,  and  mercy.  (Exod.  xxxiv.  6.) 
The  reason  is  that  these  are  the  attributes  of  God  which  enable 
men  to  make  his  majesty  the  object  of  their  praise.  Dismantling 
the  majesty  of  God  of  its  terrors,  they  render  it  the  object  of  our 
rejoicings.  The  mystery  of  his  goodness  can  only  be  revealed  to 
rational  beings,  i.  e.  to  men,  and  among  these  only  to  such  whose 
eyes  are  opened,  i.  e.  to  the  pious.  (See  ad.  Psalm  xxxiii.  1.)  But 
his  goodness  is  everywhere  manifest,  and  the  spacious  folds  of  his 
mantle  of  mercy  furnish  a  hiding-place  to  every  living  creature. 

F.  10 — 12.  The  minds  of  the  pious  perceive  the  traces  of  good- 
ness which  the  Almighty  has  stamped  on  all  his  creatures;  they, 
therefore,  may  say,  "All  thy  works  shall  praise  thee,  0  Lord/' 
Since,  however,  the  mouths  of  the  pious  alone  can  give  an  audible 
expression  to  that  praise,  the  Psalmist  immediately  adds,  that  it 
belongs  to  the  saints  of  God  to  testify  of  his  glory  among  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  The  kingdom  of  God  will  be  the  last  on  earth,  and 
in  this  respect,  at  least,  maintain  its  superiority  over  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world,  even  on  the  supposition  that  its  glory  did  not  excel 
in  other  respects.  All  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  only  strug- 
gling to  become  like  that  perfect  empire,  and  shall  ultimately  be 
dissolved  and  perfected  in  it. 

F.  13 — 16.     The  Psalmist  having  praised  goodness  and  mercy 


490  COMMENTARY   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

as  the  noblest  qualities  of  the  majesty  of  God,  now  notices  that  it 
is  chiefly  manifested  in  the  condescension  of  God  to  the  condition 
of  the  afflicted  and  the  humble.  This  thought  expands  the  range 
of  his  vision;  he  is  constrained  to  admire  the  condescension  of  the 
majestic  Kuler,  which  condescension  in  his  government  of  the 
world  extends  to  the  meanest  and  most  insignificant  of  his  crea- 
tures. Men  call  it  natural  instinct  which  prompts  all  creatures  to 
seek  their  food,  and  praise  nature  for  having  provided  for  the 
several  necessities  of  all.  The  eye  of  the  Psalmist,  however,  sees 
the  living  God  engaged  in  daily  spreading  the  table  for  every 
living  creature.  As  the  eyes  of  children  look  up  to  the  hands  of 
their  parents,  so  the  eyes  of  every  creature  look  up  to  the  stretched- 
out  hand  of  God,  which  has  for  thousands  of  years  daily  distributed 
innumerable  gifts,  provided  to  all  their  meat  in  due  season,  (Ps. 
civ.  27,)  and  never  grown  empty.  Men  with  unmoved  hearts  speak 
of  all  these  things  as  of  a  work  of  natural  necessity,  but  the  Psalmist 
sees  mercy  in  them,  and  this  fills  his  soul  with  adoration. 

F.  17 — 20.  The  earth  and  everything  on  it  fell  within  the  range 
of  David's  vision  when  he  spoke  of  the  goodness  of  God.  Nor  did 
he  overlook  the  fact,  that  as  those  that  fear  the  Lord  have  eyes  for 
beholding  his  goodness,  so  do  they  alone  possess  open  mouths  for 
getting  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  goodness.  (Ps.  Ixxxi.  11.) 
Though  the  Lord  makes  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sends  his  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust,  so  that  none  goes 
away  with  empty  hands,  yet  what  are  the  blessings  of  sunshine  and 
rain  when  compared  with  the  glorious  blessings  which  the  Lord 
bestows  upon  them  that  fear  him  ?  The  Church  of  his  saints  is  the 
theatre  where  the  marvellous  wisdom  and  love  of  God  are  most 
gloriously  revealed.  Hence  the  apostle  declares  that  by  these 
revelations  "  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God  becomes  known  unto  the 
principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places."  (Eph.  iii.  10.)  His 
mercies  are  conditional.  He  reveals  himself  to  those  only  that  call 
upon  him,  not  only  with  their  lips  but  with  their  hearts  in  sincerity. 
He  grants  only  "the  desires  of  them  that  fear  him/'  for  they  only 
ask  according  to  his  will,  (1  John  v.  14,)  and  subjecting  their  will 
to  his,  pray,  "  Thy  will  be  done."  He  saves  and  preserves  them, 
for  though  they  must  often  succumb  on  earth,  he  will  at  least 
"destroy  the  wicked,"  (see  ad.  Ps.  civ.  35,)  but  "deliver  them  from 
every  evil  work,  and  preserve  them  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom," 
(2  Tim.  iv.  18,)  yea,  "their  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a 
moment,  worketh  for  them  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory."  (2  Cor.  iv.  17.) 

V.  21.  The  Psalmist  will  not  suffer  his  mouth  to  be  silent  with 
the  praise  of  so  glorious  a  God,  but  woe,  if  not  every  man  will  join 
in  that  praise  for  ever  and  ever ! 


PSALM   CXLVII.  491 


PSALM  CXLVI. 

A  TEMPLE  psalm.  The  people  resolve  not  to  put  their  trust  in 
men,  however  potent  they  may  be,  (v.  1 — 5.)  They  praise  the 
sceptre  of  righteousness  and  mercy  with  which  God,  who  has  created 
all  things,  governs  the  world,  and  has  established  his  eternal  throne 
in  Zion;  the  kingdom  of  God,  (v.  6 — 10.) 

1  T)RAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL    Praise  tfre  LORD,  0  my  soul. 

2  While  I  live  will  I  praise  the  LORD  : 

I  will  sing  praises  unto  my  God  while  I  have  any  being. 

3  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes, 

They  are  the  sons  of  men,  in  whom  there  is  no  help. 

4  His  breath  goeth  away,  he  returneth  to  his  earth ; 
In  that  very  day  his  thoughts  perish. 

5  Happy  is  he  that  hath  the  God  of  Jacob  for  his  help, 
Whose  hope  is  in  the  LORD  his  God : 

6  Which  made  heaven,  and  earth, 
The  sea,  and  all  that  therein  2V: 

Which  keepeth  truth  (faithfulness)  for  ever : 

7  Whicfy  executeth  judgment  for  the  oppressed : 
Which  giveth  food  to  the  hungry. 

The  LORD  looseth  the  prisoners : 

8  The  LORD  openeth  the  eyes  of  the  blind: 
The  LORD  raiseth  them  that  are  bowed  down : 
The  LORD  loveth  the  righteous  : 

9  The  LORD  preserveth  the  strangers ; 
He  relieveth  the  fatherless  and  widow : 

But  the  way  of  the  wicked  he  turneth  upside  down. 
10  The  LORD  shall  reign  for  ever, 

Even  thy  God,  0  Zion,  unto  all  generations. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 


PSALM   CXLVII. 

A  TEMPLE  psalm  of  the  people,  composed  soon  after  their  return 
from  the  captivity,  when  Jerusalem  rose  once  more  from  the  dust, 
(v.  2.  13,  14.) 

The  Psalmist  praises  in  glowing  and  sweet  strains  the  mercy  of 


492  COMMENTARY   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

God,  which  is  revealed  to  the  humiliated  nation  and  his  humble 
worshippers  as  the  mercy  of  the  Almighty,  (v.  1 — 6.)  He  cele- 
brates the  paternal  love  of  God  to  the  most  helpless  of  his  creatures, 
and  his  peculiar  delight  in  the  meek,  (v.  7 — 11.)  He  comforts 
the  rebuilding  city  with  the  assurance  of  Divine  aid,  praises  the 
universal  traces  of  God's  omnipotence  in  nature,  and  glories  in  the 
thought  that  the  Almighty  King  has  favoured  Israel  above  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  (v.  12 — 20.) 

1  T)RAISE  ye  the  LORD  : 

_L    For  it  is  good  to  sing  praises  unto  our  God;*   . 
For  it  is  pleasant ;  such  praise  is  comely. 

2  The  LORD  doth  build  up  Jerusalem : 

He  gathered  together  the  outcasts  of  Israel. 

3  He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 
And  bindeth  up  their  griefs. 

4  He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars ; 
He  calleth  them  all  by  their  names. 

5  Great  is  our  Lord,  and  of  great  power : 
His  understanding  is  infinite. 

6  The  LORD  lifteth  up  the  meek  : 

He  casteth  the  wicked  down  to  the  ground. 

7  Sing  unto  the  LORD  with  thanksgiving ; 

Sing  praise  upon  the  harp  unto  our  God:        * 

8  Who  covereth  the  heaven  with  clouds, 
Who  prepareth  rain  for  the  earth, 

Who  maketh  grass  to  grow  upon  the  mountains. 

9  He  giveth  to  the  beast  his  food, 
And  to  the  young  ravens  which  cry. 

10  He  delighteth  not  in  the  strength  of  the  horse  : 
He  taketh  not  pleasure  in  the  bones  of  a  man. 

11  The  LORD  taketh  pleasure  in  them  that  fear  him, 
In  those  that  hope  in  his  mercy. 

12  Praise  the  LORD,  0  Jerusalem ; 
Praise  thy  God,  0  Zion. 

13  For  he  hath  strengthened  the  bars  of  thy  gates ; 
He  hath  blessed  thy  children  within  thee. 

14  He  maketh  peace  in  thy  borders, 

And  filleth  thee  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat. 

15  Hesendeth  forth  his  commandment  upon  earth: 
His  word  runneth  very  swiftly. 

*  Or,  "For  it  is  a  precious  thing." 


PSALM   CXLVII.  493 

16  He  giveth  snow  like  wool : 

He  scattereth  the  hoarfrost  like  ashes. 

17  He  casteth  forth  his  ice  (hail)  like  morsels : 
Who  can  stand  before  his  cold? 

18  He  sendeth  out  his  word,  and  melteth  them : 

He  causeth  his  wind  to  blow,  and  the  waters  flow. 

19  He  showeth  his  word  unto  Jacob, 

His  statutes  and  his  judgments  unto  Israel. 

20  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation: 

And  as  for  Adjudgments,  they  have  not  known  them. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

F.  1 — 6.  The  Psalmist  animates  himself  and  others  to  engage 
in  the  praise  of  the  Lord,  by  the  consideration  that  that  exercise 
is  no  less  beneficial  to  the  heart  than  it  is  a  comely  duty.  He 
expresses  his  gratitude  for  the  manifest  mercies  of  God,  as  dis- 
played in  the  return  of  the  scattered  nation  of  broken-hearted 
Israel  to  their  native  borders,  in  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the  binding  up  of  the  wounds  of  the  nation.  He  only  who  telleth 
the  infinite  host  of  the  stars  and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names 
could  have  performed  such  mighty  works.  The  Lord  delights 
especially  in  uplifting  the  low  and  debasing  the  high. 

F.  7 — 11.  He  now  praises  in  lofty  strains  the  condescending 
goodness  of  God,  who  in  a  wondrous  manner  prepares  the  rain  in 
the  clouds,  so  that  even  the  high  mountains  must  yield  food  to  the 
beasts;  who  with  paternal  solicitude  is  mindful  of  the  young  ravens, 
which,  deserted  by  their  own  parents,*  cry  to  the  Lord  of  heaven 
as  to  their  only  helper.  He  chiefly  delights  in  those  who,  unable 
to  boast  of  their  own  strength,  fear  him  and  hope  in  his  mercy. 

F.  12 — 20.  The  Psalmist  now  addresses  Zion,  which  is  privi- 
leged to  call  this  God,  her  God.  He  bids  the  inhabitants  to  look 
hopefully  upon  the  new  but  weak  beginnings  in  their  land,  pro- 
mising strength  to  the  city,  blessings  to  her  inhabitants,  peace  and 
prosperity  to  the  land  within  its  borders.  He  seeks  to  raise  their 
confidence  by  again  pointing  to  the  irresistible  strength  of  Divine 
Omnipotence.  The  words  of  God  become  his  executing  servants 
on  earth.  He  scatters  snow  like  woolly  fleeces,  the  hoarfrost  like 
ashes,  and  hail  like  morsels :  he  contracts  the  air  into  intolerable 
frost:  he  commands  his  wind  to  blow  and  all  is  melted.  All  these 
things  are  great  blessings  of  his  goodness  and  Omnipotence :  but 
the  greatest  blessing  of  Israel  is  that  they  have  a  God  who  in  his 
condescending  love  has  given  them  a  clear  revelation  of  his  -will, 
so  that  they  need  no  longer  ask,  Who  shall  go  up  to  heaven,  who 

*  This  has  given  rise  to  the  German  idiom  of  "raven  father"  and  "raven 
mother,"  as  descriptive  of  unnatural  or  cruel  parents. 
42 


494  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   PSALMS. 

shall  go  over  the  sea  and  bring  unto  us  the  word  of  God  ?  The 
word  is  now  nigh  unto  them,  in  their  mouths  and  in  their  hearts, 
that  they  may  do  it.  (Deut.  xxx.  12 — 14.) 


PSALM  CXLVIIL 

PSALMS  cxlviii.  and  cl.  seem  to  be  placed  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
Psalter,  as  if  it  were  intended  that  their  perpetually  recurring, 
"  Praise  ye,"  should  form  a  many- voiced  echo  of  the  praise  which 
fills  every  preceding  psalm.  Everything  is  invited  to  praise : 
nothing  is  too  high,  nothing  too  low.  The  Psalmist  begins  (v.  1) 
with  the  loftiest  heights,  descends  (v.  7)  to  the  lowest  depths, 
addresses  the  elements  and  kingdoms  of  nature,  reascends  to  man, 
addressing  every  rank  and  order  of  society,  and  finally  turns  to  that 
people  which  is  the  priesthood  among  men,  as  man  is  the  priest 
among  the  creatures  on  earth;  The  song  of  the  youths  in  the  fiery 
furnace  seems  to  be  an  echo  of  this  psalm. 

1  pRAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL     Praise  ye  the  LORD  from  the  heavens : 
Praise  him  in  the  heights. 

2  Praise  ye  him,  all  his  angels : 
Praise  ye  him,  all  his  hosts. 

3  Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon : 
Praise  him,  all  ye  stars  of  light. 

4  Praise  him,  ye  heavens  of  heavens, 

And  ye  waters  that  be  above  the  heavens. 

5  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  LORD  : 
For  he  commanded — and  they  were  created. 

6  He  hath  also  stablished  them  for  ever  and  ever : 
He  hath  made  a  decree  which  they  shall  not  pass. 

7  Praise  the  LORD  from  the  earth, 
Ye  dragons,*  and  all  deeps: 

8  Fire,  and  hail ;  snow,  and  vapours ; 
Stormy  wind  fulfilling  his  word : 

9  Mountains,  and  all  hills: 
Fruitful  trees,  and  all  cedars: 

10  Beasts,  and  all  cattle; 

Creeping  things,  and  winged  birds : 

*  Or,  "Ye  sea-monsters." 


PSALM   CXLIX.  495 

11  Kings  of  the  earth,  and  all  people ; 
Princes,  and  all  judges  of  the  earth : 

12  Both  young  men,  and  maidens ; 
Old  men,  and  children: 

13  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  LORD  : 
For  his  name  alone  is  exalted. 

His  glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heaven. 

14  He  also  exalteth  the  horn  of  his  people, 
The  praise  of  all  his  saints ; 

JEven  of  the  children  of  Israel,  a  people  near  unto  him. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

F.  1 — 6.  The  Psalmist  begins  with  the  heavens  above :  with 
the  twofold  hosts  of  the  Lord,  the  armies  of  his  angels  and  the 
shining  planets  and  stars  without  number.  They  are  placed  in 
different  regions  of  the  heavens  (for  God  is  enthroned  high  above 
the  lower  heavens,  Psalm  civ.  3,)  and  he  therefore  addresses  all  the 
heavens,  and  then  the  clouds  which  move  along  the  skies.  It  has 
been  stated  already  (Ps.  cxlv.  10)  how  these  appeals  to  inanimate 
creation  are  to  be  understood.  Though  every  creature  is  full  of  the 
praise  of  God,  yet  it  belongs  to  man  alone  to  give  an  audible  expres- 
sion to  their  praise.  The  Psalmist  indicates  that  the  unchangeable 
laws  and  decrees  according  to  which  those  countless  worlds  pursue 
their  course,  denote  the  object  of  their  praises. 

F.  7 — 14.  Wisdom  and  Omnipotence,  worthy  to  be  praised, 
are  also  scattered  over  the  earth,  and  the  depths  of  the  sea  abound 
with  them.  The  phenomena  of  nature  are  his  messengers:  the 
animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms  down  to  their  lowest  stages  bear 
the  impress  of  the  goodness  and  Omnipotence  of  God,  and  are 
therefore  a  song  of  praise  on  his  glorious  attributes.  But  man  is 
chiefly  invited  to  praise  the  Lord.  It  devolves  upon  him,  as  the 
priest  of  nature,  above  every  other  creature:  every  rank,  every  age, 
and  every  generation,  have  abundant  cause  for  engaging  in  this 
praise.  As  man  is  peculiarly  blessed  as  the  race  of  priests  in  the 
midst  of  inanimate  creation,  so  is  Israel  peculiarly  blessed  as  the 
race  of  priests  among  men.  * 


PSALM  CXLIX. 

WHILE  Psalms  cxlviii.  and  cl.  invite  all  beings  to  praise,  Psalms 
cxlvii.  and  cxlix.  address  the  newly  established  community  at  Jeru- 
salem. They  are  invited  to  praise  the  Lord  for  his  past  goodness 


496  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

towards  them,  (v.  1—5,)  and  new  victories  are  promised  to  them, 
(v.  6-9.) 

1  T)EAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JT   Sing  unto  the  LORD  a  new  song, 

And  his  praise  in  the  congregation  of  saints. 

2  Let  Israel  rejoice  in  him  that  made  him: 

Let  the  children  of  Zion  be  joyful  in  their  King. 

3  Let  them  praise  his  name  in  the  dance : 

Let  them  sing  praises  unto  him  with  the  timbrel  and  harp. 

4  For  the  LORD  taketh  pleasure  in  his  people : 
He  will  beautify  the  meek  with  salvation.* 

5  Let  the  saints  be  joyful  in  glory: 
Let  them  sing  aloud  upon  their  beds. 

6  Let  the  high  praises  of  God  be  in  their  mouth,  f 
And  a  two-edged  sword  in  their  hand : 

7  To  execute  vengeance  upon  the  heathen, 
And  punishments  upon  the  people ; 

8  To  bind  their  kings  with  chains, 
And  their  nobles  with  fetters  of  iron ; 

9  To  execute  upon  them  the  judgment  written : 
This  honour  have  all  his  saints. 

Praise  ye  the  LORD. 

V.  1 — 5.  The  Psalmist  invites  the  people  to  recommence  the 
praise  of  the  Lord  as  it  were  with  new  courage  and  a  new  tongue. 
(Psalms  xl.  4;  Ixxxix.  2.)  All  men  belong  to  God,  for  he  made 
them :  but  Israel  is  doubly  his,  and  in  a  twofold  sense  the  work  of 
his  hands.  (See  ad.  Psalm  xcv.  6.)  Israel  therefore  shall  sing 
praises  to  him,  which  accompanied  by  the  manifold  sound  of  festive 
instruments  are  to  sink  the  more  deeply  into  their  hearts.  He 
delivered  his  people  from  great  misery :  let  all  that  belong  to  that 
people  sing  his  praises  in  the  festive  assemblies,  as  well  as  on  their 
lonely  beds. 

V.  6 — 9.  Their  mouth  was  full  of  'praise  on  account  of  their 
past  deliverance:  but  hostile  nations  rose  up  once  more  against 
them.  (Neh.  iv.  7.)  They  now  took  comfort  from  the  promises 
of  the  prophets,  (Isaiah  xlii.  10 — 13,)  and  indulged  in  the  hope 
that  they  should  ultimately  triumph  over  all  their  adversaries,  and 
treat  them  as  the  idolatrous  nations  of  Canaan  were  treated  by  the 
command  of  God.  (Cf.  Neh.  xiii.  1 — 3.)  These  promises  have  a 
spiritual  meaning,  (cf.  ad.  Psalms  ii.  and  ex.)  so  Zechariah  pre- 

*  Or,  "He  gloriously  helpeth  the  wretched." 
f  Or,  "Let  their  mouth  exalt  the  Lord," 


PSALM  CL.  497 

diets  that  there  shall  be  no  more  the  Canaanites  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  (Zech.  xiv.  21;)  but  the  less  spiritually  inclined 
people  thought  more  of  victories  to  be  achieved  with  drawn  swords 
in  campaigns,  such  as  the  crusaders  undertook  against  the  oppres- 
sors of  the  holy  land:  "With  psalms  in  their  mouths,  but  the 
whetted  sword  in  their  hands/' 


PSALM  CL. 

THIS  psalm,  like  Psalm  cxlviii.  opens  with  an  invitation  of  praise 
addressed  to  the  hosts  of  spirits  in  the  heavens,  depicts  the  jubi- 
lant joy  of  the  many  instruments  in  the  sanctuary,  and  ends  with 
the  all-embracing  invitations  into  which  the  entire  Psalter  resolves 
itself — "Let  everything  that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord.  Hal- 
lelujah." 

1  T)RAISE  ye  the  LORD. 

JL    Praise  God  in  his  sanctuary : 
Praise  him  in  the  firmament  of  his  power. 

2  Praise  him  in  his  mighty  acts : 

Praise  him  according  to  his  excellent  greatness. 

3  Praise  him  with  the  sound  of  the  trumpet : 
Praise  him  with  the  psaltery  and  harp. 

4  Praise  him  with  the  timbrel  and  dance : 

Praise  him  with  stringed  instruments  and  organs. 

5  Praise  him  with  the  loud  cymbals : 

Praise  him  with  the  high  sounding  cymbals. 

6  Let  everything  that  hath  breath  praise  the  LORD. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 


THE  END. 


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